Evolution's Princess
by XtremeDiva22
Summary: Nicole comes to the WWE just as Evolution is looking to add a female member to their team. Old friends meet, new emotions hatch, but what happens when Nicole finds herself falling for a member of Evolution.
1. Welcome Back

_**Disclaimer:**_ I unfortunately own nothing. All of the wrestlers mentioned in this story are sole property of Vince McMahon, and hopefully they own themselves. Although, I'd like to own a few of these wrestlers, it will undoubtedly never happen seeing as Vince will not be persuaded to let me have them even for just a day lol. The only person I own is Nicole. Most of the storylines are the same, while there might be some differences. Like Paul Heyman is the SmackDown! GM. I'm not too sure the timeframe of this story, but it is way before WrestleMania XX, but Steve Austin just left, and Chris Benoit is already Champion, having won it 2 months prior. And now...........  
  
Chapter 1: Welcome Back  
  
As I walked through the hallways of Madison Square Garden a rush of warmth swept through me. I was home. Finally, I was back where I belonged. I was back at an arena. I was back in the world of wrestling, and I was finally getting my chance back. That chance was taken away from me a couple years ago, while they were still called the WWF, after a bad breakup with a certain Shawn Micheals, and an ankle injury that threw me on the backburner. While in recovery, Vince McMahon, or whoever it was, decided that the roster was in need of cutbacks. Seeing as I was still very young, 17, and had no way to defend myself in this matter, for I only found out later what had happened, I was cut. When my ankle was healed I had nowhere to go, no job. I decided to get back in the ring and train harder, and try my hand at the indy scene. Soon I had become quite the hit with their fans and was being called up by every promotion, including once again the WWE.  
  
J.R. and Vince decided it would be best to send me off to OVW. Most of the OVW fans remembered me from the indies, and soon I had a huge following. I won their women's championship, in a grueling match against Victoria, where I won the respect from those who thought I was just a pretty face with a famous last name in the wrestling world.  
  
Soon enough I was called up by J.R. He and the others in charge of such grand decision-making had concluded that I needed to be brought to television. He gave me the choice of either RAW, or SmackDown! After countless meeting with each brands General Managers, Eric Bischoff, and Paul Heyman respectively, I had made my decision much to one of their dismay.  
  
Which brings be back to reality; my first night on by brand of choice: RAW. I was to meet Mr. Bischoff in his office for 5 o'clock, which as I glanced at my watch I am already late for. I was unsure as to where his office would be. I sped up my pace, walked over to a stagehand, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked at me with a quizzical glance.  
  
"Can I help you Miss?" the man asked.  
  
"Yes actually you can. I was just hoping you could point me in the direction of Mr. Bischoff's office." I answered.  
  
"Ya sure. Just keep walking in that direction," he said as he pointed to my right "and then turn left. You should see a door that has a sign on it that says 'MR. BISCHOFF'." he stressed the 'MR.BISCHOFF sign on the door' part like I was some dumb blonde.  
  
"Thanks" I yelled over my shoulder as I made my way to his office.  
  
Within 5 minutes I had reached my destination. I pulled out my compact, opened it, applied some more lipgloss, threw it back in my purse, and adjusted my pink tweed blazer. I walked up to the door and gently knocked. I heard a faint 'Come In', and entered the office.  
  
Mr. Bischoff was sitting in his black leather chair reading some papers while speaking on the phone. He looked up as I entered, smiled, and told the person on the other end he would call them back. He put the papers back into a yellow manila folder and stood up to greet me.  
  
"Well Ms. Austin, I am so glad to see you here. Let me be the first to welcome you to the RAW Roster. I am so very glad that you decided to come and join the RAW crew and not go to that poor excuse of a brand SmackDown!" he smiled that malevolent smile of his and gestured for me to sit opposite him as he went back to his chair behind the glass desk.  
  
"Well thank you for giving me this opportunity to come to RAW and I hope that I can make a great contribution to the show. And as for SmackDown! I just thought that my talent would be more apropos for RAW seeing as you have the Women's division. SmackDown! has a very talented roster Mr. Bischoff if you don't mind my saying so" I gave him a smile which he returned.  
  
"I guess we are all entitled to our own opinions. I'm sure that you will be a great addition to our team, ...... especially to the Women's division" he smirked as he looked me up and down.  
  
"I was thinking that you would make your debut tonight" he continued "but not in the competitive way Oh don't worry" he said when he saw the look on my face "I just want to introduce you to the crowd to see what kind of a reaction you get from them. But I'll leave it up you. You can do whatever you like tonight, just as long as you make yourself known to the crowd. Don't worry I'm sure you'll get a good reaction. Well now if you'll excuse me I have an important telephone call to make. Why don't you go on to the Women's locker room and get ready for tonight. I'm sure you know many of the girls" He got up and walked over to the door. I followed him over there while he opened the door signaling my departure.  
  
As I began to leave I turned to him once more "Thank you again, Mr. Bischoff. You don't know how much this means to me. After all that happened between you and my father, I am very thankful that you didn't put that into consideration" I declared.  
  
"Well your father is responsible for his own actions. It would not be fair to put the blame on you, or on anyone else for that matter. Steve makes his own decision. He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Now if I had a grudge and used it against you what kind of General Manager would I be."  
  
I again turned to leave only to have Bischoff detain me a little longer, " And Nicole, Welcome Back".  
  
With that I left his office and went in search of the Women's Locker room.  
  
_**Meanwhile in Bischoff's office**_  
  
Eric Bischoff closed his door and walked back over to his glass desk and leather chair. He sat down and reopened the manila folder he had been reading prior to his meeting with Ms. Austin. He picked up his phone, dialed the all to familiar number, and waited for it to be answered.  
  
"Bischoff, how are you?" came a voice from the other end  
  
"I've very well thank you. Now, I was going over the papers you sent me, and I must say that I totally agree with you on this. You deserve a rematch. I know it, you know it, and so does every one else here. Hell even Chris Benoit knows it. So what I was thinking was that at WrestleMania XX there would be a rematch: you versus Chris Benoit World Heavyweight Title on the line." Bischoff continued.  
  
"Well I like the sounds of that very much Eric, and you know it. Now all you have to do is make sure that it happens, I need to get that belt back. I'll see you at the arena later" the man said.  
  
"Hunter, don't worry it'll happen, and in no time you will have that belt back!" With that concluding statement the other line went dead.  
  
_**In Evolution's Limo**_  
  
"Well, it looks like I will be getting my belt back at WrestleMania" Hunter gloated.  
  
"We all knew that was gonna happen man. It was just a matter of time" Randy said as he stroked his Intercontinental Belt.  
  
"You know man, after you win Evolution will once again have all the gold and we will be an unstoppable force; you the Heavyweight Champ, me and Ric the Tag Champs, and Randy the Intercontinental Champ" Dave Batista concluded.  
  
"Whooooooooooooooo we'll be Stylin' and Profilin'. Not that we don't do that now anyways." Ric laughed.  
  
Hunter thought for a moment and then grinned, "You know we still don't have all the gold. There is still the Women's Championship. Although I'm sure none of us would fit the category." Hunter laughed and so did the others "Well boys, I think it's about time we find ourselves the first lady of Evolution"  
  
"We all know Randy has already found his" Dave said trying to keep a straight face.  
  
"Man, Fuck you. That chick last night was crazy. Kept talking about how much she wanted to marry me and how much she loved me. She thought she was my girlfriend, honestly like I'll ever see her again" Randy tried to defend himself.  
  
"Ya well it didn't stop you from screwing her" Hunter pointed out.  
  
"Like I was gonna pass up that opportunity" Randy smirked.  
  
"Alright, so I guess we should start looking for the newest member of Evolution, any suggestions" Ric interrupted.  
  
"Preferably, she has to be hot with a nice ass and a nice rack, you know to even it out" Randy explained.  
  
"You can't screw her Randy, so get it out of your head" Hunter interjected.  
  
"Why the hell not. Hey, if she wants to saddle up with the Legend Killer I ain't gonna stop her. You guys can all screw her too, I don't care as long as I'm first in line. Anyways she has to be hot no matter what right, cuz that's what Evolution is all about" Randy said.  
  
By this time Evolution had reached the arena-parking garage, and were in the process of getting out of the car.  
  
"I'll tell you what Randy if and when we find the perfect girl for Evolution, then we'll talk" Hunter decided.  
  
"Ok sounds good. So lets get a move on and find Evolution a hottie." Randy said as he walked into the arena bags in hand with Hunter, Ric, and Dave not far behind.  
  
_**Author's Note**_: Okay so that was chapter 1. Tell me what you think. PLEASE REVIEW it will mean so much to me. This is only my 2nd story so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I stopped writing my first story Essence of a Bella Donna, cuz no one reviewed. If ya like this one please review, even if you don't like it review tell me why. And if you have any suggestions to who I should pair Nicole up with please tell me.Ok so I'll stop begging now  
  
Random Thoughts: okay so I know I kinda made Bischoff seem nice in here I guess I did, I didn't really mean to it just happened, but he'll get worse. I just love him as the bad guy. Randy is just tooooooooooooo hottttttttt OMG FAINT. Thx Read n Review. 


	2. Don't I Know You!

_**Disclaimer:**_ I still own nothing... only Nicole Austin. Vince is pretty adamant on not letting me own anyone. I tried to tell him all I want is Randy Orton for a day... but still he won't budge lol. Also, in this story everything that happens is real, like if Benoit and Triple H are feuding its for real, and they really hate each other. Okay so please Read N Review. Thank you sooo much to those who reviewed the first chapter. oh and if you have any ideas for a better title please let me know.. I really suck at these things so here's ......  
  
Chapter 2: Don't I Know You  
  
As I left Bischoff's office in search of the Women's Locker room I began to think about how I was going to introduce myself to the crowd. I could do a run in during one of the Divas' matches... no that's too redundant. I can just go out there and literally introduce myself, but that's really no fun. What am I supposed to do? I really should have thought more about this. Ok lets see...maybe I can go down to the announce table during the Divas match and do some commentary while introducing myself. What are you thinking Nicole that sucks! Think dammit. Why is it that whenever I really need to come up with something fast I can't? I slapped my forehead in an attempt to help me think, but it really didn't work. It just made my head hurt. Ok... I'll just think about it later.  
  
In my effort to try to find a way to present myself to the crowd I must have taken a wrong turn because I was nowhere near the locker room. Oh well. I spotted a cafeteria, and realizing that I was a little hungry, decided to enter. As I did, I noticed that most of the wrestlers were already in here. Probably getting a bite to eat before the show I thought.  
  
I scanned the room and immediately noticed a petite blonde who was actively talking, sitting herself down at a table with a few other women: a second blonde, a redhead, and a raven-haired diva. She was wearing dark blue hip hugging jeans, a white wife beater, and her golden hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head. I inwardly smiled; Trish. She never stops does she; I don't know how Lita can keep up with her. I waked over to the back table, where there were sitting, and tapped Trish on the shoulder lightly. She turned around slowly, looked up and let out a squeal of joy. In the matter of a second she had jumped out of her seat and was hugging me, all the while asking a million questions.  
  
"OMG. I can't believe you didn't tell me," she said after I had managed to call her down.  
  
"Well" I started as I pulled up a chair from a neighboring table "I wanted to surprise you guys. At first I wasn't sure I was going to choose RAW, so I didn't want to get your hopes up for no reason. Later, when I was sure, I just decided it would be worth it to see the look on your face. And it was." I finished.  
  
"I still can't believe you did that," she repeated as she hit me on the arm "if you would have told me, or someone for that matter, I could have come pick you up or something" she scolded.  
  
"OW... damn Trish you don't know your own strength. Would someone mind switching seats with me? Preferably someone as far away from Trish as possible" I joked.  
  
Trish slapped her head, "I can be such a dumb blonde sometimes. Nicole this is Stacy, and you obviously know Lita so no need for an intro, and Victoria from OVW right?" Stacy and I glanced at each other and began to laugh.  
  
"What's so funny guys? Oh come on tell me... do I have food stuck in my teeth" Trish asked.  
  
"No" Stacy continued to laugh "But I already know Nikki, you make it seem like I'm meeting her for the first time. You do this every time Trish; you always think we don't know each other. Nikki and me spent some time together in OVW, don't you remember?" Stacy finished.  
  
"Oops I guess I do. Well there's another blonde moment to add to the book," she giggled.  
  
"Ya it's like the 50th one today" Victoria teased. Trish stuck out her tongue at her, and Victoria began to do the same, but stopped shortly after a glance at the cafeteria door. Three men, all wearing suits, strode in. Most of the cafeterias occupants glanced over at them, and then continued what they were doing. They went to farthest end of the room, where it was quite empty, and sat down.  
  
I glanced in their direction, and then back to Lita, "who's that?"  
  
"That's Evolution. They're a bunch of pricks, except for Ric he's cool. You know Ric Flair right? Anyways, they think they're like gods gift to all women, especially Orton" she said.  
  
"They hold all the power here on RAW, and they have Bischoff wrapped around their fingers. He complies to their every demand. I heard that Bis. Is giving MR.BIGSHOT a rematch against Benoit." Victoria continued.  
  
"Well I'm sure Chris will beat 'em. There's no doubt about that. So where is he anyway, Benoit I mean" as soon as the words came out of my mouth he entered the room along with Adam (Edge), Jay (Christian), Jericho, Andrew (Test), and Matt (Hardy). They looked around the room for the girls and when they caught sight of us came over.  
  
As soon as I saw Jericho I stood up to greet him. The seven men, finally realizing that I was there, sped up their pace to the table all with smiles on their faces. Jericho sprinted towards me, and before I had a chance to say hello, he swept me off my feet into a hug.  
  
"I missed you too, Chris" I laughed.  
  
"Chris let the girl breathe, would ya" Adam said as he arrived at the table. Then he too enveloped me in a massive hug.  
  
"Copeland, talk about letting the girl breathe ay," came Jay. "Ah, come here Nikki" and once again I was having trouble to breathe.  
  
After I had gone the rounds, with hugs that is, we all sat around the table and I informed them of the latest happenings of my life. Soon, the guys began to talk about the recent events on RAW, while Trish, Lita, Stacy and Victoria talked about the latest gossip on SmackDown! Their good friends Torrie Wilson, and Dawn Marie, whom I had yet to meet, seemed to keep them up to date.  
  
As I intently listened to Adam and company speak about Evolution, I couldn't help but be drawn into all the drama that is their everyday lives. They all seemed to really dislike them. Like HATE them. Although from what I was hearing from them, I could make a very general statement about Evolution, but I wasn't one to judge before I met someone... even if all my friends hated them. It seemed that Evolution had no problem lying, or cheating, to win. Nor did they mind blackmailing or conniving people into doing their dirty work. Benoit continued to explain about Eugene, whom Evolution befriended when they found out he had a soft spot for one of the members. Since then, Eugene had turned his back on all his friends, including Benoit, to be with Evolution.  
  
The whole conversation/topic of Evolution was really starting to bore/ nauseate me, so instead I turned my attention over to the Divas. Lita had just begun telling a story about Jeff Hardy's prairie dog Witty. Apparently she had lost the poor thing this weekend while sitting on the couch, seeing as it was, and still is, very small. She had spent the whole afternoon searching for it, only to find it where she left it, on the sofa. As I began to laugh, I started to feel a wave of emotion come over me. I was finally home, and these people were my family.  
  
_**Meanwhile at Evolution's Table  
**_  
"I don't know why we even bothered to come here," Hunter complained. "I have so many better things I could be doing right now"  
  
"We came here because Randy and I were hungry," Batista said impatiently. "You didn't have to come, you could have stayed with Ric. No one was forcing you to eat"  
  
"Ya" Randy agreed as he shoveled more food into his mouth. He glanced over to the entrance, and noticed Chris Benoit, Edge, and the rest of their posse making their way into the room. "Great. Look who's here" he hooked a thumb into the direction of the door, and saw the unease in Hunter's face.  
  
"Don't worry Champ. We'll get 'em in the ring. They wont know what hit 'em" said Batista as held his hand out to Randy for a high five. But Randy, whose eyes had followed Edge to their table on the other side of the room, was too interested in something, or someone else.  
  
"Who's that chick there? The one hugging Jericho" he asked.  
  
Hunter turned to look in the same direction and shrugged, "I don't know, maybe she's a friend or something. But I'd sure as hell would like to find out..." but Hunter was cut off by Batista and Randy.  
  
"Sweet, very sweet indeed," Randy mumbled as he looked her over. "Hey Dave, wouldn't you just love to tap that ass"  
  
"Now that is one hot piece of ass right there," they said in unison. The three men began to chuckle, as they continued to watch the blonde. She was perfect, at least to them when it came to looks. She was 5'9, with long blonde hair until her mid- back. She had blue eyes and was fairly tan. She had on a very short jean skirt, and a pink wife beater that showed off her curves. To complete her outfit, she had pink stiletto sandals; obviously she liked the colour pink. They watched as she threw her head back and laughed.  
  
"Damn! Imagine the things you could do with her" spoke Randy.  
  
"I'd prefer not to imagine but actually carry out. I'm more of a man of actions than words Randy" Batista boasted.  
  
"I'd like to see her throw her head back and scream my name" Hunter laughed. They turned back their attention to her table, only to realize that she was gone. They searched the room for her, and Batista found her at the salad bar.  
  
"Now that's the type of woman we need in Evolution" Randy pointed out. Hunter and Dave agreed. They continued to watch her until they noticed that she was apparently walking in their direction.  
  
"I wonder if she's the submissive type, or a hellcat in the bedroom" Dave wondered.  
  
"Only one way to find out" Hunter chuckled. He continued watching the woman, and couldn't help but think he'd seen her somewhere "I've seen her somewhere before" he wondered out loud. Hunter didn't have time for an answer, because she was just a couple feet away from their table.  
  
"Hey baby, why don't you come and introduce yourself to us. You could sit on my lap, and we'll see if something comes up." Randy called to her.  
  
"Excuse me," she began "why don't you say that again to my face." As she turned around to face them, Hunter's mind began to work in over drive. Everything seemed to fit into place; that voice, the attitude, the looks, those eyes..............  
  
"Nicole!" he couldn't believe it was her.  
  
"Hunter!" she exclaimed.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ so there's chapter 2. hope ya liked it. Please Review. Again if you have any ideas for a better title let me know. I was really stuck with trying to find one, this the best I could come up with. Also, if you have any suggestions with who I should pair Nicole up with, it would be greatly appreciated. Right now I'm stuck between Randy faint Orton, or Hunter die Helmsley. Thx. 


	3. 1st ImpressionsNo Wait2nd?

_**Author's Note**_: Hello once again. I own nothing, only Nicole Austin. It's now time for some of my useless ramblings: HOTTIES OF THE WEEK yay. #1 Randy Orton. He is so hot OMG I'm gonna faint. He's so cocky and arrogant that I can't help but love him. #2 Triple H. Although he's a real ass on RAW I cant help but love him. He's gorgeous. #3 John Cena. He's the only reason that I try to watch SmackDown!, If I have time. His body is amazing... enough said. That's enough rambling. Please Read n Review. Here's Chapter 3...  
  
Ch3: 1st Impressions...No Wait...2nd??  
  
"Nicole?" Hunter couldn't believe it was her.  
  
"Hunter!" she exclaimed.  
  
Hunter stood up, still not believing it was the same girl he once knew, and walked over to Nicole. He stood there scrutinizing her as she did the same to him. She looked very different to the girl he remembered. The Nicole he knew had short, choppy, dirty blonde hair, she was a bit shorter, and a little bigger in the hips. She obviously had grown up during the past 4 years. But one thing that stayed the same was those eyes: those clear blue eyes, that he could spot anywhere. They stood there for a moment, still not knowing what to say, until he decided to break the ice.  
  
He reached out and ran his fingers through a portion of her hair, "You changed your hair color" he paused still not knowing what to say, "and you let it grow."  
  
She pulled away from him, "Ya I did, but I can see you haven't changed much."  
  
Nicole looked over at the two men sitting at the table. They had been watching the whole ordeal without saying a word. She focused in on the man who had called out to her, 'I guess this is must be Orton' she thought remembering what Lita had told her. She walked over to him, standing right between his legs, until she was merely an inch from him. He tried to stand up, but she pushed him right back down into his seat. She smiled, cocked her head, and bit her lip seductively. She lowered herself onto his lap, per his request, making sure that most of her weight was on his manhood.  
  
She again, bit her lip, and smiled, "I don't know who you think you are, but I am not some ring rat that you can charm into sleeping with you, or whatever else you might have in mind. Those whores might buy whatever cheap line you throw at them, but you sure as hell better believe that I won't. Now, if you keep that in mind, I think we can get along just fine. But if you don't, then you'll have problems." She smiled, got up, and walked back over to Hunter, as Randy and Dave looked over at each other, and stood up as well.  
  
"Should' a known you'd be a part of Evolution Hunter. Its right down your alley isn't it: lying, cheating; its what you do best. I can't believe I just let it slip me like that. So do you tell them what to do, or do they act on their own free will?" she asked.  
  
"HA. Very funny Nikki. Yes they act on their own free will, I don't nor do I want to control them..." but Hunter was cut off.  
  
"But you are the leader, I'm supposing you are. I know how you hate being in the shadows of someone else" she teased him.  
  
He knew she was referring to Shawn Micheals. He had played second fiddle when he and Shawn were in DX together, and she knew how much he hated that. She was very clever, always playing up to the parts of his life that he hated most, and it made his blood boil. They had never been the best of friends. Actually, it was quite the opposite; they never really liked each other at all. Hunter knew it, Nicole knew it; everyone knew it. But, while he was in DX and best friends with Shawn, Nicole had begun to date Shawn. So, for his sake they pretended to be friends, all the while knowing they couldn't stand each other. But now there was no Shawn to please, and they didn't have to pretend. Both their relationships with Shawn had gone sour, and they had both tried to cut off all ties with him. Nicole had succeeded, while Hunter had at least tried.  
  
He smirked, "So how's Shawn?" he knew that this simple, yet disdainful remark would send her off the edge. And he just loved to push her buttons and see how far he could get before she slapped him.  
  
Her face became serious, and her eyes like stone with the slightest mention of her past relationship with HBK. "You know very well, that Shawn and I do not interact, or communicate in any way Hunter". She paused as she became quite enraged with him, then "Why do you always bring him up? You're a complete jerk you know that. All you think about is yourself. Who cares about what other people think. As long as you get an ego boost its okay, right. God, Adam and Chris were right about you, you are a pompous asshole. And so are the rest of you" she gestured towards Randy, and Dave.  
  
Hunter was amused, to say the least. He had gotten her right where he wanted her; she was frustrated, and was about to lose her temper. "Aw, come on Nicole. Where is all this coming from. I thought we were friends, and friends don't hurt each others feeling like that," he said coolly.  
  
"Right, like you have FEELINGS Hunter. All you have is an ego to feed, and a penis so you can screw women with. I am sick and tired of always having the same fights with you. Why don't you just leave me alone, and we'll pretend we don't know each other."  
  
By this time we had made quite a scene. Many of our fellow co-workers had stopped eating and were listening attentively to our conversation; interested in who it was that would not back down to Evolution. Those who didn't know me, or the past that Hunter and I shared, were beginning to form conclusions about who I was: an ex- wife, an ex- girlfriend, and all the likes. But at this moment I didn't care what they were saying about me.  
  
Hunter pulled me closer to him, noticing the stares we were receiving, and whispered into my ear, "Why don't you just calm down, you're making a scene. Sit down and we'll talk this out like adults." He gestured to a nearby chair as he sat down in his. I contemplated his request as I stood in front of him.  
  
"This is Randy Orton, and this is Dave Batista" he said gesturing to the two men. "And I'm Hunter. Can't we just start over?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.  
  
"The hell with you!" Nicole pulled herself away from Hunter's grasp. She picked up her salad, which she had placed on the table, and threw it in his lap. She turned around and stormed out of the room, all the while hearing Hunter curse her to death. In her rage, she didn't even notice a certain 'Heart Break Kid' as she left catering.  
  
Shawn stumbled backwards as a fit of blonde hair stormed past him, muttering to herself. He stopped and thought for a few seconds still not trusting his eyes. 'No, it couldn't have been' he thought to himself. He tried to convince himself that it was Trish, or Stacy, but it just didn't work. The only person he thought it was, was Nicole. But it certainly couldn't have been her. She wasn't a Diva, as far as he knew. He shrugged the thought away as he entered the cafeteria, and spotted Adam at a table. As he walked towards him, he saw Hunter cleaning himself up.  
  
"What happened to him?" Shawn had now reached Adam, who along with everyone else at the table, was in a fit of laughter.  
  
"Nicole just...threw all...her salad...all over him," Victoria said in between laughs.  
  
Shawn froze. He had been right. It was her. But what was she doing here. Suddenly everyone stopped laughing and their table took on a more serious vibe. They turned to look at Shawn, who was still taken aback that Nicole, indeed, was here. They all knew about their past, and they all knew that they hadn't seen each other for a very long period of time. In keeping their distance they had learnt to get on with their lives without each other. Shawn was now married and had two children, while Nicole had moved out of Texas, and to New York to focused her life on wrestling. They had all prayed that this would never happen, but deep down they knew that this moment would be inevitable. They all began to think the same thing; now that they were both here, working for the same company, would they still be able to live their own separate lives without crossing each other's path.  
  
"Well, Hunter must have deserved it" Shawn finally spoke indifferently.  
  
The table was quiet for a few more minutes before Trish decided to break the silence, "I think I'm going to go find Nicole"  
  
"Me too" Lita, Stacy, and Victoria said in unison. And before the men had a chance to stop them, the girls were out of the room.  
  
As she walked towards the Diva's locker room, Nicole felt more frustrated than ever. How could she let him get her like that? She knew that's all he was doing: trying to make her look bad. 'Why cant he just leave me alone' she thought. What the hell does he get out of doing this to me? She pushed open the locker room door and sat down on the leather couch. She bent over, and put her head between her hands and screamed,  
  
"I HATE HIM"  
  
"We know you do, honey" Nicole looked up, her eyes filled with tears, to find Lita, Stacy, Trish, and Victoria standing around her.  
  
Lita had never seen her like this. In all the years she had known her, he had never made her cry. Never. Lita wondered what made this time any different than the last. And truth be told, she could only come up with one logical reason: Shawn. She knew it didn't make much sense, but that was it. Before Nicole had Shawn to turn to, and now she had no one. Well, she had them and Adam, and everyone else, but it wasn't the same. I guess now would not be the time to tell her about Shawn. She'd have to speak to the rest of the girls first, but she thought it would best if she and Shawn worked it out amongst themselves.  
  
"Come on, Austin, don't cry. Hunter doesn't deserve your tears, don't give him the satisfaction" Victoria stated.  
  
"He's such a jerk! Why does he always do this? Why can the just be nice!" Nicole asked.  
  
"You of all people know it isn't in him to be nice. He just does it to get you angry, and every time you fall for his trap" Trish spoke honestly.  
  
"I know, and I just can't help it. I just want to rip his head off. I know he does it to amuse himself and to see how much I can take. But the thing is I do the same to him. He just gets to me worse." Nicole sighed and got up. "I can't let him get to me anymore. I won't"  
  
"Well, that's the smartest thing you've said all day," joked Lita.  
  
"With that and throwing salad on Hunter; you're on a roll Austin" Stacy concluded.  
  
I smiled and began to laugh. They always knew how to cheer me up. I wiped away the remaining tears and walked over to one of the big mirrors that covered most of the walls of the Divas' Locker Room. 'I look horrible' I thought to myself. As I began to touch up my make up, there was a knock on the door. Stacy opened it to reveal a stagehand.  
  
"Are you Nicole Austin?" he asked.  
  
I nodded a "yes", and he continued, "Mr. Bischoff wants to see you in his office right away."  
  
'This cannot be good.'  
  
_**Authors Note**_: Alright there's Chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really means a lot. I've figured out what I'm going to do with the whole Randy/Nicole or Hunter/Nicole, so thanks for your ideas. Please Review. Thx 


	4. Diving In Head First

_**Disclaimer**_: ¡Hola! Alright so I wanna thank everyone for the reviews. I greatly appreciate them. It makes writing this so much easier, when you know someone is enjoying it besides yourself : ) hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Read n Review.  
  
Chapter 4: Diving In Head First  
  
Walking towards Bischoff's office I couldn't help but feel like I was back in elementary school and was being taken to the principal's office. I admit, I have always been a troublemaker ever since I was born. I've always had a big mouth, never knowing when to keep it shut. I guess I got that from my father. My way with words, as my father calls it, has always seemed to get me into trouble, and today was not any different. Damn Hunter, and his stupid ego. He always new how to get the worst out of me. I just wish he would just leave me alone! But since I know that isn't going to happen, I am just going to have to stay away from him.  
  
We reached Mr. Bischoff's office, and the stagehand told me to go in. I slowly opened the door and walked in. Bischoff was sitting in his leather chair with his back turned to me. He turned around and gestured for me to sit down as he rose from his seat. He walked over to the front of the desk, and perched himself on it. I could tell he was angry, his face looked very serious, unlike our first encounter today.  
  
"What the Hell do you think you are doing" he shouted. "You come in here, and within an hour I already have a complaint against you."  
  
"Mr. Bischoff, I can explain," I interrupted him. But I too was cut off.  
  
"I bet you could. Hunter told me all about what happened. He told me how you walked up to him and started yelling obscenities at him for no apparent reason. And then to top it all off you dump your food all over him. Are you out of your fucking mind?" By now he had begun pacing the room.  
  
"That's not what happened at all. Randy was the one making catcalls, all I did was return the favor. I am not going to let someone just trample all over me like that, especially Evolution" Nicole shouted right back.  
  
"Well then, you won't make it very far in this business. You see, Evolution is very powerful. And if they don't like someone, then maybe they aren't right for this company. Do you see where I am going with this Nicole? If you start having problems with Evolution, then they become MY PROBLEMS. And do you know what I do with my problems?" he laughed a sardonic laugh, "Well, you're going to find out if you keep up this behavior."  
  
"I am very sorry Mr. Bischoff. I wont let it happen again. I promise" Her voice was very tense, as she sugar coated her words for him.  
  
"Good. Now get out of my office. I went out on a limb for you Nicole when I signed you, don't make me regret it" he walked me over to the door and as I stepped out he shut the door in my face.  
  
I shook my head. I guess that went okay; I suppose. At least he didn't fire me. I can't believe Hunter would do this. Go and tell Mr. Bischoff! What is he in the third grade? Actually, on second thought it is very like Hunter to do this to me: trying to make me look bad. Doesn't he ever get tired on the same old song and dance? As I walked through the hallways I noticed some members of the crew running around, 'must be close to show time' I thought.  
  
I walked back to the Divas' locker room and walked in. Most of them were in some state of undress. Clothes were flying out of suitcases, as mascara was being thrown from one diva to the next. I walked over to my locker where I had previously placed my bags. On either side of me Stacy, and Victoria were picking out outfits as they danced to the music that was blaring. They both noticed that I had returned and I smiled.  
  
"So how did it go?" Stacy asked as Trish and Lita neared.  
  
"Don't worry, it's all okay. He didn't fire me so I'd say it went well. But I think I should start getting ready. I have no idea what to wear" I tried to change the subject.  
  
"Just wear anything. You'll look hot no matter what you wear." Trish rolled her eyes.  
  
"Did you figure out what you're going to do tonight?" Lita asked.  
  
I nodded my head in the "yes" motion. Shit, I forgot about that. Okay think fast. Wait first you have to get dressed. But my outfit has to go with what I'm gonna do and I don't know that yet. I inwardly sighed. If I don't think of something fast, I'm going to be in so much trouble with Bis. I bobbed my head to the song that had just begun to play: "Fighter" by Christina Aguliera. I had always loved that song. Suddenly it hit me, I smiled as the others looked on waiting for me to tell them my plans.  
  
"You all are just going to have to wait and see" I grinned and went to look for the perfect outfit.  
  
About an hour later I was ready. The locker room was surprisingly empty, due to the fact that the Divas match had just ended. Trish and Lita picked up the win against Molly and Gail after Trish pinned Gail with a Stratusfaction. The rest of the girls, Victoria, and Stacy, were in Jericho's locker room, where everyone had been hanging out. I turned back to the monitor that was broadcasting RAW, as to not miss my cue. J.R and Jerry Lawler were hyping up the next match: Randy Orton and Batista versus Chris Benoit and Edge. 'This was going to be fun' I thought. I had come to the conclusion that Hunter, and most probably Ric, would be at ringside. And what better way to get back at him than by helping Benoit, and Adam pick up the win. I turned back to the mirror and smoothed out my jacket. I had decided on wearing my black Armani suit: black fitted dress pants that flared at the end, and a matching black jacket. The jacket bared just enough cleavage to give everyone a good look, but not enough to say that I looked like a cheap whore.  
  
I glanced back at the monitor, and saw that Evolution was making their way down to the ring. I smiled to myself, thinking of the look on Hunter's face when I would make my entrance. I pulled on my black leather boots and decided it was time to go and headed towards the gorilla position. I passed Trish and Lita, as I went, and they shook their heads fully knowing my intentions. They didn't try to stop me; they just smiled and walked back towards Chris Jericho's locker room. As I reached gorilla I heard my cue, both Edge and Randy were down, and both needed to make a tag to their partners.  
  
'This is it' I thought as I walked towards the ramp, 'there's no turning back now'. This would either make me a superstar, or break me. I was hoping that the crowd would go for my initial thought, and cheer me on. As I stepped past the curtains and out onto the brightly lit ramp, the crowd was deafening. I had never imagined it to be this loud. They were cheering, although not for me, for Adam who had just speared Randy and was again lying on the mat unable to pin him.  
  
I walked over to the apron, where Benoit was cheering on Adam. He noticed my presence and smiled, and then motioned to Hunter with his eyes. Hunter had noticed my presence as well, and he seemed to be losing his temper. He shouted at Randy, telling him to get up and tag in Batista. I, in turn, banged my hand against the mat cheering for Edge to make a tag.  
  
Simultaneously, they both tagged in their respective partners and the match once again began. Benoit and Batista locked up, and Dave got the upper hand with an arm bar. He applied the pressure as Chris tried to fight out of it. He reversed it, but Batista fought out and took him down with a clothesline. As I cheered on Benoit, Hunter who had one eye on the match, and one on me was shooting me daggers. Batista kicked Benoit in the stomach a few times before picking him up and body slamming him right back to the mat. Randy tagged himself in, and went to work dissecting the Rabid Wolverine. He Irish wiped him into the turnbuckle, and after a few chops, Benoit began to fight back with chops of his own.  
  
Benoit backed Randy up into the corner where Edge was and then tagged in his partner. The referee, who was being held up by Hunter, didn't see the tag nor did he see Ric Flair pull Edge out of the ring as they began to brawl on the outside. Benoit got back into the ring to finish off Orton. Randy kicked him in the shins and gave him a DDT. The self-professed Legend Killer began to kick Benoit some more before playing up to the crowd. Adam and Flair were still fighting on the outside, and now Hunter and Dave had joined in making it a 3 on 1. The referee, to no avail, was trying to break it up,  
  
This was it: it was now or never. I climbed up onto the apron, as Randy was looking my way. I smiled and beckoned him over tantalizing him as I undid the top button of my jacket. The crowd was loving it, they very interested in finding out who this buxom blonde was. Randy looked me over, and licked his lips. He walked over to the ropes and leaned in, tilted my head up and kissed me. I kissed him back as I let him explore my mouth with his tongue, much to discontent of the crowd. "What the hell was talking Benoit so long?" I thought. The kiss ended as I pulled away from Randy just as Benoit hit him with a forearm to the back. I jumped back down to the padded concrete, just as Benoit had locked in the Cripple Crossface. Randy who was screaming in agony, tapped out.  
  
The timekeeper rang the bell, letting everyone know the match had ended. Adam, Hunter, Ric, and Dave looked back to the ring to see the results. Benoit was celebrating on the turnbuckle with his belt, as Lilian Garcia announced he and Edge as the winners. Evolution was furious. They began to walk towards the ramp in defeat. Nicole glanced at Hunter as he passed her, and she could tell he was already coming up with another plan for next week.  
  
Edge slid into the ring, and celebrated with Benoit. They both turned and looked at Nicole signaling for her to enter the ring. She walked up the steel steps and over to where Adam was holding open the ropes. She entered the ring, and the crowd began to cheer. Adam hugged her and then raised their hands up; the crowd was on their feet. The three of them walked back up the ramp, and to Jericho's locker room not saying a word.  
  
When we walked in to the locker room everyone had a smile on their faces. They were all quite impressed with my debut, as was I.  
  
"So what was it like to kiss Orton" Stacy wanted to know.  
  
"I bet that pissed Hunter off. Although I'm sure Randy enjoyed it," Jay said.  
  
After a half hour of pointless chitchat, we all decided to head over to the hotel. We were all pretty tired and had an early flight the next morning. The RAW brand was going to be leaving New York and heading west over to California. We would be staying in Cali for two weeks of house shows, RAW, and autograph signings.  
  
As I climbed into my bed in the room I was sharing with Stacy, I smiled to myself. Today was most probably the best day of my life. I had worked so hard for this day to come, and it had finally arrived. I had finally made it.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ so there was Chapter 4. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks for bearing through my so-called "match". It's the first time I've written one. Read and Review Thx. 


	5. You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing associated with the WWE or anything else except Nicole. Thank you guys for all the reviews, blushes, it really means a lot. Read and Review. On with the story....  
  
Chapter 5: You Have Got To Be Kidding Me.  
  
The next morning came all to quickly. Somewhere between 5 and 5:30 the sun had risen and was creeping into the darkened room through the curtains. Nicole lay asleep, or at least trying to sleep, as Stacy was in the midst of getting dressed. Their wake up call had woken them up at 5:15. Nicole wondered why the hell Stacy had decided on such an ungodly hour for them to wake. Stacy, in her defense, had tried to explain to a half awake Nicole that their flight left at 8 o'clock and they would have to get there at least 2 hours in advance to get through security.  
  
Stacy walked back over to Nicole's bed and shook her awake, "Come on Nikki, we have to get going. Adam is going to kill us if we don't get down their in fifteen minutes. You know how he hates to be late, and it's gonna take us a half hour to drive to the airport. So you have to get up NOW!" she yelled the last part.  
  
"Just five more minutes, Stace" Nicole pulled the covers over her head and tried to get back to sleep.  
  
"Fine, but I warned you" Stacy padded over to the small wooden table where her cell phone lay. She opened it up and dialed a number and muffled her voice as she spoke so Nicole wouldn't hear. She hung up, and within a second the person was already at their door. She opened the door to reveal a stressed looking Chris Jericho. She let him enter and he walked over to Nicole's bed.  
  
"That's it Nicole! Get up now!" he half shouted at her. He pulled the sheets off her and threw her over his shoulder.  
  
"Jericho put me the fuck down right now!" she demanded suddenly awake.  
  
"Fine" and with that Nicole found herself being placed on the floor, in the middle of the room, with a thud.  
  
"Damn it Chris, be a little bit more careful next time would ya." Nicole stood up and scratched her head.  
  
"Hurry up and get ready. Adam is already ready, and is waiting downstairs with Matt and Jay. We're just waiting on you guys and Lita and Trish. He's already pissed okay, and I'm the one who's sitting next to him on the plane, so please try to spare me my life" Chris ushered Nicole into the bathroom telling her to wash up. He went over to her suitcase and grabbed some clothes for her. He walked back to the bathroom and gave her the clothes and shut the door. He reminded her that they had 5 minutes, maybe 10 before Adam would probably leave without them.  
  
Inside the bathroom Nicole groaned. What was it like 5 in the morning? I don't even think the goddamned birds are up yet. She opened the faucet and sprayed the cool water over her face. She brushed her blonde hair, and put it into a messy bun. She looked down at the clothes Chris had provided her with as she heard him mumble some unkind words. She laughed, 'at least he had good taste' she thought referring to her clothes. She pulled on her ¾ Miss Sixty jeans, and then her pink Juicy Couture terrycloth mini- sundress. She opened the door and walked back out as she noticed Jericho closing up her suitcase. She walked over and threw her tank top and flannel pants into it, and let him lock it up.  
  
She walked over to the wooden table and placed her cell phone into her Louis Vuitton purse and applied some lipgloss. Seeing that Stacy and Chris were on their way out without her, she grabbed her purse, slipped on her flip-flops, and ran out closing the door behind her. She ran to the elevator where Chris and Stacy were already getting on, holding it open for her.  
  
They reached the lobby, checked out, and walked outside where everyone else was already waiting. Adam was pacing the pavement, as Matt tried to tell him to chill. Lita, knowing Matt's efforts were of no use, was trying to tell him so. Trish was trying to apply some makeup without being disturbed by Jay, who was always "Mr. Sunshine" in the mornings. Stacy, Chris, and Nicole walked toward them and set down their luggage.  
  
"Well it's about time!" Adam bellowed.  
  
"Sorry, it was my fault" Nicole confessed.  
  
"It's okay. Just don't let it happen again, cuz I swear I'm going to leave without you next time" Adam began walking over to their rented SUVs. He opened the trunk of one of them and placed his luggage inside. "So who's going with who, and make it fast people".  
  
Everyone began to make their way over to the car of their choice. It ended up being Adam, who was the driver, Chris, Stacy, and Nicole in one while Trish, Lita, Matt, and Jay were in the other SUV. They piled in and they made their way over to JFK airport.  
  
The ride to the airport was awfully quiet, as everyone, well except Adam because he was driving, was trying to catch some much-needed shuteye. Nicole shifted in her seat, and placed her head on Chris' shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. She closed her eyes taking in the scent of his cologne, remembering the day she had met him.  
  
She had been walking the halls of Titan Towers with Stephanie four years ago, when she caught sight of a blonde man talking to an equally blonde woman. Stephanie ushered Nicole towards them, and introduced her to Chris and Trish. Nicole couldn't help but feel mesmerized by his blue eyes and blonde hair. They began to talk, and instantly clicked. They had been friends ever since that day. When she was cut from the roster, it was difficult to keep in touch, but they promised to call at least once a week. They had kept up that promise and strengthened their bond. Nicole knew she could tell Chris anything and he wouldn't repeat it to another soul, or make fun of her for it. Through all their fighting and bickering they both knew that in the end they would wind up laughing about it.  
  
She opened her eyes as she heard Adam tell them they had arrived. They climbed out of the SUV, as Matt parked next to them. They grabbed their respective luggages out of the trunk and headed towards the entrance.  
  
When they were inside, they lined up to get their tickets and boarding passes. The line seemed to take forever. Nicole looked down at her watch: it was now 6 o'clock. 'What the hell were this many people doing at an airport at this time of the morning?' she thought. She let out a sigh as the line finally began to move. At 6:15 she was finally at the counter with one of the all to cheery hostesses. Stacy and Chris, who had been ahead of her, were waiting for her as she received her tickets.  
  
Nicole looked at the nametag of the woman before her: Anna. How it the hell was she so cheery and peppy when it was so early. Anna asked for her name, and her passport. Nicole gladly gave her both pieces of information and waited.  
  
"Well Ms. It looks like you have been upgraded" Anna stated with a smile.  
  
"What do you mean _upgraded_?" Nicole questioned as she stifled a yawn. Chris and Stacy looked on with confused looks on their faces; they understood what she meant.  
  
"Well you see it looks like someone moved your seat up to first class" Anna gave her the ticket and boarding pass notifying her that she was no longer sitting with the rest of her friends.  
  
"That's odd. Do you know who upgraded me?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Unfortunately no, the computer doesn't take down names. But I'm sure that you'll have a great flight nonetheless. Hope you enjoy your flight" Anna motioned for them to get out of the way as to make room for the next customers.  
  
The three of them walked over to the rest of the gang who were awaiting their return. Chris filled them in on what had just happened as they made their way over to the security terminals that they had to pass. As they all tried to figure out who had moved Nicole's seat, Nicole was trying to figure out the exact same thing. Shortly after reaching the terminal, they had come to the conclusion that Bischoff must have made the change. Nicole wondered why and then Jay brought up the fact that maybe Eric just wanted to make peace.  
  
They reached security, and had to wait in another half-hour long line before being able to make their way to Terminal 36. 'Stacy was right' Nicole thought 'it does take long to pass security'. Shortly they were all seated awaiting their flight to be called. They had another half hour to wait until boarding would begin. Nicole feeling restless, informed everyone she was going to the magazine stand. Trish decided to join her, and together they stocked up on the latest issues of Vogue, and Cosmopolitan. Just as they had resumed their seats an announcement was heard telling them that "Flight 267 to Anaheim, California will now start boarding at gate 36"  
  
They grabbed their carry on luggages and walked over to yet another line. Nicole was beginning to hate these things. "Stupid line-ups" she muttered. After 5 minutes they entered the plane. She made her way over to first class as the others headed to their seats in coach  
  
Nicole entered her section expecting to see a certain Mr. Eric Bischoff, but what she found was not at all what she had anticipated. There in front of her sitting in the very comfortable looking leather seats were three members of Evolution.  
  
'What the hell were they doing here?' she thought. She knew that Evolution only flew first class, but she didn't think she would be sharing the plane with them. She thought about going back to her normal seat in coach, but the thought of sitting in first class was a little too normal for her, so she decided to make the best of it. As long as she didn't have to talk to them, it would be okay. After all, Mr. Bischoff would arrive in no time, and she would have some one else to talk to.  
  
She made her way to her seat as Hunter noticed her presence. He tuned out of the conversation Randy and Dave were having and began to think of last night's events. Hunter had known that Nicole would choose to make her debut during the main event between Evolution and Benoit and Edge. That was the only reason he had decided to come down to ringside. He wanted, no he needed to see how she handled herself in a sticky situation, and he had to hand it to her she had managed to surprise him. He didn't think she was going to go to the extent of kissing Randy just so Benoit could pick up the win. And that's exactly what he, along with the rest of Evolution liked so much about her; she would do anything to win.  
  
Along with the fact that she would not back down to anyone including Evolution themselves, they had decided that Nicole was the only Diva worthy of being part of such a prestigious team. After last nights match, they had conferred amongst themselves and decided that they would offer Nicole a spot in Evolution, whether she decided to accept was up to her. Hunter had called up the airline, and arranged for her seat to be moved to first class. This way, they would be able to talk to her without anyone else knowing. Now that she was here, all they had to do was tell her.  
  
Hunter shifted in his seat so he was facing Nicole, "Nice to see that you made it"  
  
"I should have known better. If I knew it was you who had changed my seat, I would stayed in coach" she looked over at him and smiled. She walked over to the seats that were furthest from them and sat down.  
  
"Come on Nicole don't lie. After that kiss you gave me last night I know you're here just to see me. Couldn't stop thinking about me could you." Randy taunted.  
  
"Gosh Randy, you're dumber than I thought" Nicole reached into her Louis Vuitton, and pulled out her new copy of Vogue.  
  
Randy was about to reply, but Nicole cut him off, "If you all would just leave me alone, I think that we could get through this flight without killing each other"  
  
Randy huffed, and glanced back at the door wondering where Ric had gotten to. Soon he, Batista, and Hunter had started up another conversation as all prior thoughts were removed.  
  
This was going to be a long flight.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ So I hope you liked it. I'm not going to tell you who I'm gonna put her with just yet lol. Please Review. 


	6. Wrongful Turns

_**Disclaimer**_: I only own Nicole, everyone else is owned by the WWE and they own themselves. Thx for the reviews. Read n Review.  
  
Chapter 6: Wrongful Turns.  
  
Since they had taken off, the plane ride had been quite uneventful, with the exception of Ric making a mad dash for the plane. Flair had arrived just minutes before take off. He greeted Evolution, and then Nicole with a hug. He had sat across her and they had begun to talk about how their lives were going. Nicole hadn't seen Ric for many years: about seven or eight. They had first met when she was five years old. He and her father were working in the same promotion; which one she doesn't remember. He had always been like another father to her. After a while of chitchat, he excused himself and returned to his seat with Evolution.  
  
Nicole immersed herself in her magazine, reading about the latest fashion trends in Milan, Paris, and the likes. She could hear the faint whispers coming from either Randy or Hunter as they came up with a plan for the next RAW. She looked up and scanned all their faces. Randy and Hunter were both in immense thought as they continued to hatch a plan. Ric was listening intently, as Batista nodded every so often.  
  
Batista never said much. In fact, Nicole had never heard him actually speak. She studied his face; he was quite a mystery. She noticed that he never let any emotion show through onto his chiseled features. She looked him over; he was a good-looking man. 'He's really hot' Nicole thought. 'But so is Randy and he seems like an arrogant jerk. And Hunter...' she trailed off. She continued to watch him, when unexpectedly they locked eyes. He had caught her watching him. She blushed, as he smiled, and went back to reading her magazine.  
  
After a few more minutes of reading, she felt the weight of the seats next to her shift. She looked up to find Hunter sitting across from her. Randy sat next to Hunter, and Dave next to her as Ric stood.  
  
They looked at her expectantly, and when she didn't say anything Hunter finally spoke. "I didn't bring you here for no reason, Nicole"  
  
Nicole smiled, "I know that you always have ulterior motives in everything you do Helms," she said using her nickname for him "I was just waiting for you to make your move." She crossed her legs and closed her magazine, preparing for what lay ahead.  
  
Hunter smirked, "Okay, well we" he motioned to his fellow members, "have a proposition for you" he paused waiting for her to say something; she nodded urging him to continue. "We had been thinking of adding a member to Evolution for a little while now; a female member that is."  
  
Batista turned to her and spoke for the very first time; "you know that old saying right 'behind every great man, there's a great woman'" his voice was silky, yet very hard and rough.  
  
"And we couldn't think of anyone greater than you" Randy continued.  
  
"That's why we invited you here. We wanted to talk to you about joining Evolution in private; so none of your little friends could interrupt. So what do you say Nicole, do you wanna be apart of the most powerful faction to ever grace the WWE, or do you want to stay with your friends and become the enemy" Hunter leaned back in his chair waiting her response; it was all up to her.  
  
"So you want me to join Evolution, because of what? If you think that I'm gonna sleep with you guys, then you have another thing coming. That is of course if I decide to join. But why really should I join you guys. You don't really need me; you're powerful on your own. In addition, we really don't get along all that well, so why are you really doing this?" She was very confused. She and Hunter never got along. They couldn't even spend five minutes alone together, so why did he want her to join Evolution; they would have to spend all their time together.  
  
"Firstly" Hunter began, "I think you would make a very nice addition to the team seeing as we are very similar. Don't even try to deny it Nikki; you like being in power. And so do we; and we have the power."  
  
"You're also an amazing wrestler Nicole, we wouldn't want any other Diva on our team but you" Ric joined in.  
  
"And you're smart" Dave added, "You know how to get people's attention by using their flaws. Like you did to Randy last night; you knew he wanted you, so you used that in favor of helping Benoit and Copeland win"  
  
"Not to mention how hot you are" Randy smirked, "And that is a big part of what Evolution is about; looking good, and being the best"  
  
Nicole licked her lips and thought, "Okay, I'll think about it."  
  
Her answer stunned everyone in the room; including herself. They didn't actually think that she would accept, or even think about it; but she had. She didn't know why she had just said that. She didn't even really know if she wanted to join them or not.  
  
"That's great. But, don't take too long; the offer won't stand forever. I'll give you 'till next Monday, which is RAW. Here's my number, call me when you have your answer" Hunter pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and jotted down his number and handed it to her. He walked back over to his seat, Ric and Randy in tow. Nicole took the paper and placed it in her wallet so she wouldn't loose it.  
  
Batista remained seated next to Nicole for a few minutes before he whispered into her ear "I really hope you accept the offer. I think hanging around with you would be a lot more fun than staying with them all the time." He got up and returned to his seat, leaving a very perplexed Nicole.  
  
Nicole sat there and began to think about what had just happened. Evolution had just offered her a place in their team; she wasn't just imagining it. She began to replay the whole scenario in her mind. She sighed; she'd really have to think about this one. She really didn't want to turn on her friends; she had known them forever and they'd be so disappointed, especially Jericho. But then on the other hand if she did join Evolution she'd be the most powerful Diva on RAW. Hunter was right and she knew it; she was just as power hungry as they were. She just didn't like to admit it. She went back and forth for what seemed like hours. She finally decided to get some sleep seeing as she was giving herself a headache with all the thinking she was doing.  
  
Someone tapping her on the shoulder awakened her 3 hours later. She looked up into the eyes of Randy Orton. He told her they had landed and that she was free to go. Nicole smiled to herself; he really had everything going for him. He was gorgeous, and had an amazing body. He was a great wrestler, and held a lot of power, not to mention he was the Intercontinental Champion. She suddenly realized what she was thinking, 'What the hell is wrong with me. First Batista, now Randy; this really has to stop.' She got up and clutched her purse. She took her carry on, and began walking out of the plane. With one last glance back to Hunter and company, she left. She met up with everyone just outside the exit, and they walked over to pick up their rented SUVs.  
  
"So were we right, was it Bis. who moved your seat?" Trish asked.  
  
Nicole thought for a moment; should she tell them she was with Evolution. It wasn't as if she had a good time with them, she hadn't really even hung out with them at all so what should it matter. But then again, they'd probably get all upset that she was with them so she decided she wouldn't tell them. "Ya. He just wanted to apologize for how he acted yesterday and he wanted to welcome me to RAW, or so he said"  
  
They all began to laugh and then started conversations amongst themselves, all except one: Chris Jericho. He studied Nicole's face trying to figure out if she lying or telling the truth. He came to the conclusion that her statement was true; Bischoff was never one to give up an opportunity with a beautiful woman, and Nicole definitely was beautiful.  
  
The next couple of days passed in a blur. It was one house show to the next. Never stopping for a moment. She had yet to have her debut match, but instead contented herself with accompanying either Benoit or Adam to the ring. She and Evolution crossed each other's paths every now and again; but they both continued to act indifferently.  
  
She had continued to think about their proposal, but had yet to come up with a decision. The deadline was soon reaching, it was now Friday night, and she still hadn't a clue as to what to do. She was torn between her friends and Evolution. She knew that she shouldn't be feeling this way, and should have told them to go and shove their offer up all their asses, but she hadn't. In some sick, strange way she was very impressed and drawn to them. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was there. It was almost like an attraction; a desire that she needed to fulfill.  
  
She looked over at the clock next to her bed; 1:00 a.m., and glanced at Stacy who was soundly asleep in the bed next to her. She climbed out of her bed, and silently crept over to where she had placed her cell phone. She picked it up, and went into her purse, pulled out her wallet and retrieved the stub of paper with Hunter's number. She had reached her decision, and if she didn't tell him now she would never do it. She walked outside, inhaling the crisp nighttime air. She dialed the number waiting for him to pick up.  
  
After four rings he answered, "Hello"  
  
"Hi, its me. I hope I didn't disturb you," she half whispered, not wanting Stacy to wake.  
  
At the sound of Nicole's voice Hunter was wide awake. He hadn't expected her to call, and now that she had he was very interested in what she had to say. "No it's fine. Have you made you're decision yet?" he stifled a yawn.  
  
"Ya I have. That's why I'm calling you. Do you think we could meet up and talk?" she answered trying not to give him to much information.  
  
"Sure. Why don't we meet Sunday night at the deli a few streets up, say eightish?" he offered.  
  
"Okay, that's great. So I'll see you there" she wanted this to end as quickly as possible.  
  
"Wait." He paused "You are joining Evolution right?"  
  
"Yes I am" With that she hung up the phone closing a chapter into her life and opening another.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ hope you're still enjoying it. If you want to see any other pairing, Wrestler/Diva just let me know and I'll work it into the story. Thx Review. 


	7. Unusual Behavior

_**Disclaimer:**_ I still own nothing except Nicole. Read and Review. Thx  
  
Chapter 7: Unusual Behavior  
  
Saturday, and Sunday both went by quickly as they had house shows both days. Nicole loved the vibe that she got whenever she walked to the ring. The crowd loved her; and they always cheered her on. She knew that she should try to take in as much as she could, seeing as soon she would be the newest member of Evolution. She was certain her fans would turn on her for making that decision. She just hoped that her friends wouldn't do the same. She hoped they would understand, but deep down she knew they never could.  
  
It was now Sunday night. They had just finished their house show in San Bernardino. They were all tired, as they hadn't had a day off since they had begun their tour of California. But Tuesday, they had the whole day free, and Nicole along with the rest of the girls; Lita, Stacy, Trish, and Victoria had decided to go shopping. Nicole was looking forward to that. She loved shopping.  
  
Since they were all too tired to go out after the show, they had decided to go back to their hotel. They went to Jericho, and Adam's room, since it was the biggest, and had ordered pizza, and some PPV movies. They were laughing, and eating just having a good time. Every so often, Nicole glanced at her watch making sure she wouldn't be late for her "meeting".  
  
Currently they were watching Gothica, which Nicole thought was pretty scary. She buried her face into Chris' neck looking up every so often to see what was happening. Chris laughed as she held on to him. He had never seen her this scared before. He knew, as did the others, that she hated scary movies. He continued laughing as she playfully hit his arm in defense.  
  
At eight o'clock, the movie ended. They had just ordered another movie: a comedy this time. Nicole stood up and faked a yawn. "I'm really tired guys, I think I'm just gonna go up to bed"  
  
"Aw, has all the traveling, and work been too much for the princess" Matt teased. Lita hit him with a pillow, as he pretended to be hurt.  
  
"You want me to walk you up?" Chris asked.  
  
"No, it's okay. I'll be fine. Its only one floor up." Nicole was trying to get out of there as fast as possible.  
  
"You sure?" he asked again.  
  
"Ya. Don't worry. Just watch the movie" she replied.  
  
Chris nodded, as everyone bid her goodnight. She took her black Chanel purse and walked out. She walked to the elevator, and waited for it to arrive. She looked down at her watch and saw that it was 8:10. She was already late, and she knew how much Hunter hated to wait. She stepped off the elevator and walked outside, feeling the air nip at her skin. 'I should have grabbed a jacket' she thought. She was wearing a pleated Von Dutch jean skirt with the logo, in pink, plastered on the front and back. She had worn a simple black wife-beater, and black stiletto heels to finish the outfit.  
  
Within ten minutes she had arrived at the deli. She walked in and scanned the room looking for Evolution. She finally saw them; they were at the back of the restaurant. There were a few women around, basically throwing themselves at them. Nicole rolled her eyes as she made her way over to the table. She looked at Hunter, and inwardly laughed. She could tell he was getting very annoyed of the brunette that was with him. He looked up and saw Nicole, pleading with her to save him with his eyes.  
  
She walked up to the table and cleared her throat. They all looked up at her: the men smiling, the women all giving her an evil glare. "I think you're in my seat," she said to the blonde that was sitting next to Randy. She stood up, as Nicole turned to the other two who were standing next to the booth that Hunter and Dave were occupying, "Now if you can all just leave, it would be greatly appreciated." Nicole put on a sweet smile, waiting for them to leave. They turned around in a huff, and left as Nicole sat next to Randy.  
  
"I was starting to think you weren't gonna show" Hunter announced.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry I'm late, but I told you I would be here, and I am. So don't start with me. I am not in the mood to fight with you" Nicole stated.  
  
"Calm down. I don't want to fight with you either." He paused and looked at her.  
  
She gave him an apologetic look, "Sorry, I'm just tired I guess."  
  
"It must be hard trying to get back into the routine of doing a show and then hopping onto the car to get to the next venue" Dave pointed out.  
  
Nicole nodded "Ya it is. I haven't done this for a while. But I didn't come here to talk about that, so why don't we just get down to it." She paused and looked around the room, "Where's Ric?"  
  
"He couldn't come. He had a meeting with Bischoff about something, and told us to tell you he was sorry that he couldn't make it." Randy explained.  
  
Nicole nodded in understanding. They then began to talk about the task at hand; her joining Evolution. She explained to them that she had decided she would join. They were all very pleased with her decision. As they began to further their conversation she realized that they weren't at all liked they seemed. Sure they had big egos, and were very power driven, but there was more to them. Nicole could tell that Randy had a great sense of humor, and that Batista was very conscientious, and thoughtful. Every so often these characteristics would show through. Even Hunter was acting different; it was a side of him that she had never seen. They were getting along, and laughing like old friends as they told Randy, and Dave stories.  
  
Soon she too opened up and explained to them how she was worried about how her friends would react. She knew they would not take her decision too lightly, and would be quite furious with her. She knew that each one of her friends had something against Evolution, and that not one of them could think of something nice to say about them. They assured her that no matter what would happen, they would not let her get hurt. Nicole pondered that; 'they may be able to stop me from physical injuries, but what about emotional.'  
  
"If they do turn on you Nicole, then they were never really your friends" Hunter suggested.  
  
Nicole stared at Hunter and thought about what he had said, "I guess, but lets just hope that they won't. There's no harm in hoping."  
  
Soon they began to talk about how they would reveal her as being a member of Evolution. They each thought about it and brought ideas to the table, but none seemed suitable. After many hours, and many cups of coffee, Nicole suddenly got an idea.  
  
"I've got it!" she said with a bright smile.  
  
They all looked at her eagerly, wanting to know what she had come up with. She looked at all their faces, and inwardly laughed, they were all so interested in what she had to say. But she wasn't going to tell them; she wanted it to be a surprise.  
  
"Well, I'm not going to tell you" she looked at Hunter and noticed that he had become upset. Before he could protest she continued, "Trust is going to have to play a big part in our relationship. And like you mentioned before, I'm going to have to trust you guys. But trust works both ways; if I trust you, you have to trust me. Look at this as me proving my loyalty to you."  
  
"Nicole's right" Hunter began "We all have to trust each her, and what better way to start than right now. But I'm warning you Austin, you screw me over and there will be consequences to pay."  
  
"Oh, don't worry Hunter, I never go back on my word." She said as a smile played on her lips. She looked at her watch, and was shocked when she noticed it was already 1:00 a.m. She stood up and told them that she would be leaving. They all agreed that it was pretty late, and they too were leaving for the hotel. She said her goodbyes and left the diner.  
  
Hunter followed her out, and noticed that she had begun to walk up the street to the hotel. He caught up to her, and grabbed her by the arm spinning her around, "You shouldn't be walking alone at this time of night. There might be creeps lurking around"  
  
"Oh, like you" she smirked.  
  
Hunter chuckled, "Why don't you let us take you back to the hotel. Were going in the same direction anyways"  
  
Nicole shrugged; she had spent the past 5 hours with them, a whole 5 minutes more wouldn't kill her. She strutted past Hunter to the limo that Dave was getting in. She got in after him, and was soon followed by Hunter. A couple minutes later they were at the hotel. Hunter got out, and making sure that no one was watching, gestured for Nicole to get out. She slid out, mouthed a 'Thank You' to Hunter and entered the hotel before anyone could see her.  
  
She rode the elevator up to the 16th floor, all the while wishing and praying that Stacy hadn't come home yet. She knew that she was wishing against all odds. She was certain that Stacy had gone up to their room to find it empty. She slid her keycard in the slot and walked in expecting to find Stacy asleep. But what she found served to be very interesting.  
  
She walked in to find a certain Stacy Keibler, and Chris Jericho making out on the bed. She smiled and cleared her throat, letting them know she had arrived. They looked up in embarrassment, as Chris stood up and put his shirt back on.  
  
The three of them stood in awkward silence for a minute until Jericho broke the ice, "And where the hell have you been. We've been waiting for you for 2 hours"  
  
"Doesn't look like you missed me too much" Nicole joked. Stacy blushed and looked at Chris. "I just went for a walk and then, I went to get a cup of coffee" she lied.  
  
Chris nodded his head, "Okay, but next time let someone know. We were worried about you"  
  
He headed for the door, and Stacy stood and walked after him. She returned a few minutes later, looking down at the floor blushing, "Don't even say one word"  
  
"What like I was going to. I'm not that interested in your sex life. Anyways I think you and Chris look good together."  
  
Nicole undressed as Stacy rolled her eyes and got into bed, "You really think so"  
  
"You know I've wanted you and Chris to get together.... for like ever. I'm glad that it finally happened. If only I could be so lucky in the love department."  
  
"Don't worry, you'll find your knight in shining armor. Just give it some time" Stacy smiled. "I hope you're right" with that they both fell silent, too tired to say anything more.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ I'm thinking of working other couples into the story. So far I have Lita/Matt, and now Stacy/Chris. If you have any suggestions for other Diva/Wrestler couples let me know Thx. 


	8. The Beginning To An End

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing other than Nicole. Just to warn you, I have a "Match" in this chapter, and I'm not too good at writing those so if it doesn't make much sense I'm sorry.  
  
Chapter 8: The Beginning To An End  
  
Monday morning came all too quickly for Nicole. She hadn't gotten much sleep throughout the night, for she was all too nervous about her upcoming tasks. She had finalized every minute detail of her plan, and was sure that it would work. All that was left was to put it in action; the rest was up to her chosen individual. If this said person would react like she thought, then everything would be just fine. If not, then she would have to work around the problem.  
  
Nicole looked over at Stacy, who was still asleep, and sighed. She knew what she would do would hurt everyone that cared about her. She cared about them too; and she really didn't want to harm them, but she knew that once she was fully with Evolution it would be inevitable.  
  
The rivalry between Evolution and her group of friends was one that would never go away. It had started way back when Hunter had managed to marry Stephanie. Chris Jericho had joined the then WWF, a month prior, and had become quite smitten with her. He was enraged at Hunter and even more so at Stephanie the following month, when she showed her true colours by aligning herself with her new "husband". Since that day, Jericho has hated Hunter. Even when Nicole was dating Shawn, Chris was never keen on her having to spend time with Hunter, and the rest of DX for that matter.  
  
Naturally when Chris Benoit joined the roster, a long-time friend of Jericho's, he too joined the 'I Hate Hunter Club'. Then along came Adam, Jay, and Trish. Adam and Jay fell into the IHHC (I Hate Hunter Club). Trish on the other hand had taken a liking to Hunter, and was trying to tear his relationship with Stephanie apart. But alas, Hunter turned on Trish; just like everyone said he would.  
  
A little down the road Matt, Lita, and Jeff Hardy had had the pleasure of feeling the wrath of Triple H after Lita told Stephanie that she would be better off without him. So they too became part of the IHHC. Stacy Keibler, who joined the roster when the WWE bought out WCW, had few contacts with Hunter, but soon came to the conclusion that he had an ego the size of Texas. That, along with what everyone else had told her, turned her off from him even more.  
  
And so that is where they all stood now. Their group had mostly stayed the same, with the exception of a few members. Jeff had left the WWE a year ago, and Nicole found herself to be missing him more than ever. She and Jeff had been very close up until he left, even though his girlfriend Beth had always hated her. Beth seemed to think that Nicole was after Jeff. Nicole, although she had always thought that Jeff was the hottest guy in the world, knew how much he cared about Beth and would have never even tried to take him away from her. From time to time, Victoria, Andrew "Test" Martin, Shelton Benjamin, and when he had been on Raw, Rob Van Dam joined their group.  
  
Shawn Micheals, according to Trish, had mended some ties with Jericho, and Benoit and now had also become part of the usual group. Nicole thought it quite peculiar that he hadn't been hanging around with them lately. Perhaps, she thought, he didn't want to see her. But Nicole knew that one way or another they would come face to face, and tonight was that night.  
  
Nicole looked over at the clock, and sighed when she saw it read 8:00. She got up, intending to wake up Stacy. Adam wanted them down stairs for 9 o'clock so that they could have breakfast, and then begin their drive up to L.A. for RAW.  
  
She shook Stacy gently, waiting for a sign of life before heading to take a shower. "You're up early," she mumbled.  
  
"I couldn't sleep. I'm gonna shower first 'kay?" Stacy nodded and sat up. She flipped on the TV, and began to sing along to the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme. Nicole laughed and she too began to sing along as she gathered some clothes and headed for the washroom.  
  
After fifteen minutes Nicole exited the bathroom. She had decided to wear some comfortable clothes for the drive; a pair of baby blue Champion track pants with a white tank top, and white and blue Puma sneakers.  
  
Stacy looked up at her with a shocked look, "Jesus Nikki, are you sure you're okay. First you're up before me, and now you must' a taken the shortest shower ever." Nicole shrugged. "Oh well, I'll be out soon. So pack your bags 'kay" Stacy continued.  
  
Nicole sat on the bed and continued to watch Sponge Bob. She crunched up her wet hair with some gel and mousse, so that she ended up with wavy curls. She packed up, just like Stacy told her. As soon as she had finished, her phone rang.  
  
She flipped it open and looked at the caller ID; it was Hunter.  
  
"Hey" she spoke quietly, as she made her way to the balcony.  
  
"I hope that you're ready for tonight Princess, and you have better not even think of screwing me over." Came Hunter's rough voice.  
  
"You know I would never even think of screwing you Hunter" Nicole replied with an innuendo- laced tone.  
  
Hunter chuckled, "You never know, you might change your mind, and want to play The Game." He implicated.  
  
Nicole laughed; they had been getting along quite well since Sunday night. No more mean comments; they had to cope with one another. Now most of their conversations, and they had had many over the phone, were exactly like this one. There were always some innuendos, but it was just in plain fun. Most of the time, he just wanted to check up on her. She heard Stacy call her name, telling her they should be leaving.  
  
"I have to go" Nicole whispered into the receiver.  
  
"Okay, meet us in the locker room around 6." Nicole told him she would before hanging up and going inside.  
  
She and Stacy made sure they had everything and then made their way downstairs to where they knew Adam and the rest would be waiting. They went to McDonalds for some fast breakfast and then began their drive to L.A.  
  
During the ride, Nicole forgot all about her plans. She was just so happy being with her friends, that she was trying to take in every moment. She laughed, as Jay, who was driving, and Trish fought about everything under the sun. At the moment they were fighting about who would win in a fight: Superman or Spiderman. Trish was arguing that Spiderman would win while her boyfriend tried to explain to her why Superman was the better superhero. Adam laughed and shook his head. Soon he too joined the conversation, saying that Batman was the best and that was that. Nicole decided not to get into this, and instead popped a CD into the car. Soon Linkin Park's Breaking the Habit blared through the car speakers. Every one forgot about what they were talking about as they began to sing.  
  
Meanwhile in the other car, Lita was getting quite upset with her boyfriend Matt,  
  
"Matt I need to go to the bathroom. We have to stop" Lita whined. She had been asking him to stop for half and hour now. She had tried to hold it, like Matt had told her too, but if she didn't go soon she was going to burst.  
  
"Li, you just went to the bathroom back at breakfast. Can't you wait just a little? Were on a schedule you know." Matt, like Adam, hated being late.  
  
"That was like two hours ago" Lita yelled "I really have to go." She looked over at Matt, and noticed that he was trying to ignore her. "Fine, but if I just happen to pee all over the seat, it's not my fault."  
  
"Damn man," came Chris' voice from the back "just stop and let her go. I do not want to sit in a car smelling of piss man.  
  
"Actually, I think I have to go too" Stacy spoke up.  
  
Matt sighed, "You have five minutes."  
  
About a half hour later they were all safely at the arena. At seven o'clock all the Divas went back to their locker room to get ready for RAW. Nicole had already gone to see Evolution. She could tell by the expressions on their face that they were uneasy about not knowing what she was going to do. She reassured them, for what seemed like the millionth time, that they had nothing to worry about. They had all come around and put their trust in her.  
  
Nicole stood and went over to the mirror to apply her makeup. She had changed into a pair of Miss Sixty cargo jeans, and a low-cut white blazer with two buttons. She slipped on a pair of black Christian Dior pumps, and applied her eye shadow. She used a smoky grey for her eyes, and some eyeliner. She applied some lipgloss, and then went off.  
  
When she finally reached her destination, she took in a deep breath. She wasn't sure if he was in his locker room, but she hoped he was or else everything would be ruined. She lightly knocked on the door, awaiting a response. She heard a low "Come in" and slowly pushed open the door, walked in, and closed in behind her. He didn't even turn around to face her until she cleared her throat.  
  
"Nicole..." Shawn trailed off.  
  
"Shawn" she stated.  
  
They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. He was very surprised that she had come to see him. He had expected her to completely ignore him until she saw fit to acknowledge him. He stared at her for a few moments. She hadn't changed very much. She was still beautiful: tall and skinny, but not too thin. She had changed her hair, and noticed that it suited her much better.  
  
Shawn finally broke the ice, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I know this is really weird, seeing as we haven't spoken or seen each other for like four years and all..." she paused and bit her lip as he continued to watch her. "I know you have a tag match tonight with Benjamin against Hunter and Randy, and I was just wondering..." she paused again as she put her hands into her pockets. She was unsure how to come about and say what she had in mind. "I was just wondering if you needed anyone at ringside, I would be more than willing to help."  
  
Shawn studied her face and shrugged, "I guess..."  
  
She cut him off, "Bear in mind that the rest of Evolution will most likely be at ringside... If you really don't want I don't really care. I'm just trying to help.... Maybe we can um... 'bury the hatched' so to speak and try to..."  
  
"Be friends" he finished for her. Nicole nodded. Shawn thought about her proposal for a few minutes as Nicole wrung her hands. "Okay. Meet me at gorilla before my match." Nicole smiled. "Why do you want to be at ringside?" he asked.  
  
Nicole smirked, "Well you of all people know that Hunter and I have never been the best of friends. This is just sorta my little way of paying him back for all the things he's ever done to, or said about me"  
  
Shawn laughed, "I'm liking your rendition of payback; costing him matches. I saw your debut last week. It was great; Hunter was furious."  
  
Nicole laughed, "Yup, I'm liking it too" she walked over to the door, "I have to go RAW's gonna start soon." She opened the door and began walking out.  
  
"Nicole" Shawn stopped her, "I do hope we can get over the past and be friends"  
  
"Ya me too" she smiled and looked down and continued to walk away.  
  
RAW had begun promptly at 6 o'clock, seeing as they were on the west coast. Before Nicole knew it, it was already time for the main event; the tag match pitting Evolution members Hunter and Randy versus Shawn Micheals and Shelton Benjamin. Nicole made her way over to gorilla position and waited for Shawn to show up. Evolution was already making their way to the ring when he showed up. He smiled at her and nodded in the direction of the ring as they began to make their way up the stairs to the ramp. As soon as Benjamin's music had stopped, HBK's music began and they made their way to the ring. The crowd's cheers were deafening, and Nicole loved the feeling that they were cheering for her.  
  
As soon as the bell rang the match began with Randy and Shelton. It was a fact pasted match with both of them getting in lots of near falls. Shortly, Randy had the upper hand and was stomping away at Shelton. Shelton, who desperately needed to make a tag, suddenly hit Randy with an enzeguri (sorry if that's not how you spell it) and went to tag in Shawn. Randy had managed to tag Hunter, and the two of them were going at it with closed fists.  
  
Shawn whipped Hunter into the ropes, but Batista caught Shawn's leg as he went to hit him with a flying forearm. Hunter chuckled and went to kick Shawn in the gut, until the ref pulled him away. Hunter pulled Shawn up and backed him into Evolution's corner. He distracted the ref as Randy began to choke Shawn. Nicole watched as she slammed the mat with her hands, cheering for Shawn. He fought out of Randy's hold and punched him, sending him to the floor. Hunter went back to Shawn as they continued to battle.  
  
Meanwhile Randy, who had been knocked to the ground, grabbed a chair from the timekeeper and slipped it into the ring for Hunter. Hunter had been beating down on Shawn as Nicole tried to cheer him on. Every so often Hunter would steal a glance in her direction, trying not to make their connection visible. He was beginning to wonder what the hell she was going to do; and if anything she better do it soon. He laid out Shawn with a pedigree, and instead of going for the pin he went for the chair, as Flair distracted the ref, and Batista and Randy took care of Shelton Benjamin on the outside. They threw him into the steel steps and then finished him off with an RKO and a sit- out power bomb by Batista.  
  
The ref called for the bell after seeing what had happened to Shelton, and he then tried to get Hunter away from Shawn to no avail. He was pushed to the ground for his efforts, and then left the ring; scared of what would happen to him if he didn't.  
  
Hunter taunted Shawn urging him to get up. Nicole watched the scene before her and knew that everything was going as she had planned. She inwardly smirked before sliding into the ring. Hunter raised the chair above his head, but Nicole grabbed it out of his hands before he had the chance to hit Shawn. Shawn, who was now standing up, told her to put the chair down, as Hunter demanded that he give it to her.  
  
As both men pleaded with her, she looked from Hunter to Shawn and back again. She did this a little while longer, pretending to make up her mind, when in fact she already knew what she was going to do.  
  
She grasped the chair tightly, lifted it a little and turned to Hunter intending to hit him. She began to swing at him, but with one swift move she had changed her position, and the cold steel came into contact with Shawn's head. The entire arena went dead silent as Shawn fell to the mat, and she threw the chair down next to him.  
  
Hunter glared at her, while the other members of Evolution climbed into the ring and stood around them. Hunter's featured suddenly turned to a smile, as he pulled her into a hug. The crowd began to boo, and hiss; disappointed that Nicole had turned on them. She hugged the other members of Evolution as their music blared. They left the ring and walked up the ramp where they stopped. They all held hands and lifted them above their heads in unity.  
  
As they walked backstage they all complimented her tactfulness. Randy expressed that she had him worried for a little bit, when if seemed like she would actually hit Hunter instead. Nicole laughed and joked with them as they made their way through the arena receiving many un-approving stares. Nicole pushed them out of her mind, until one particular glare caught her eye: Chris Jericho.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT" he bellowed.  
  
Nicole walked over to him, not wanting to cause a scene, "What do you mean?"  
  
"WHAT DO I MEAN, WHAT DO I MEAN, YOU JUST SLAMMED SHAWN WITH A CHAIR AND FOR WHAT, EVOLUTION."  
  
Nicole glared at him, "It wasn't for Evolution. It was for me. For everything he did to me; he lied, he cheated, and he used me. Payback's a bitch Chris, you of all people should know."  
  
"Fuck Nicole, you're still holding a fucken grudge against him. What the hell is wrong with you; it's time you move on. Stop acting like a spoiled little girl, and start acting like a smart mature woman." He scolded.  
  
"What the hell Chris I am acting like a smart, mature woman. Smart, mature women make their own decisions, and take responsibility for their actions." She explained.  
  
"Really, and that's what you think you're doing. And you had to make that decision by joining Evolution. I'm sure you could have done it without them." Nicole tried to interrupt, but he didn't let her, "I obviously don't understand, and I really don't want to." He looked at Evolution who were standing in back of Nicole, "So why don't you go and hang out with your newfound friends, and just do me a favor and leave me alone." He turned around and walked off.  
  
"CHRIS...CHRIS" she called after him. But she knew it was no use; she had lost him. She watched him walk away tears welling up in her eyes. She brushed back her tears and turned to face Evolution, "What the hell are you all staring at?" she snapped. "I'm going to go get my stuff and I suggest you all do the same. I'll meet you in the parking garage in ten minutes. She stalked past them, determined not to let them see her cry.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ OK, so what did you think. I hope you all liked it as much as did lol. On another note, the couples in the story are going to be: Lita/Matt, Stacy/Chris, Jay/Trish. I'm still no sure who to put Adam with, so if you have any suggestions let me know. Review Thx.

also, i'm having a mild case of writers block, i know where i want the story to go I'm just unsure as to how to get there, so if you have any ideas they would be greatly appreciated


	9. The Start Of Something New

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing, except Nicole. Read n Review. Thx to AnGeL BaBii, Alissa5, monika, and Hey yo, mang for the reviews of the last chapter.  
  
_**Chapter 9**_: The Start Of Something New  
  
Nicole woke up the next morning to voices yelling, a door slamming, and more yelling. She rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and noticed that she wasn't in her hotel room. She sat up, swung her legs over the bed, and walked over to the suitcase that lay on the floor. She bent and opened it up, realizing that she was in Batista's room, as it was his suitcase. She tried to stand up, but couldn't. She had a massive headache, and was a little lightheaded.  
  
She slowly made her way to door; she opened it, and walked out. She sat at the nearest chair at the table and put her head in her hands. "You okay?" someone asked her. She looked up into the steel blue eyes of Randy, and nodded her head slowly. He pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. "You hungry?" She shook her head 'no'. He stood up and left, only to reappear a few seconds later. "Here take this" he handed her a glass of water and two Tylenol. "It always helps me when I'm hungover." He sat back down next to her, and continued to watch her.  
  
She swallowed her pills, as she looked around the room. Their hotel room was gigantic. 'They rented out the suite' she thought. There were four bedrooms, one for each member, and they were all big. They had big comfortable beds, like the one she had slept in, and their own balcony. There was a kitchen, with a nice wood table, and chairs. She could see that the living room had two modern black leather sofas, a matching chair, and a huge plasma screen TV.  
  
"You guys go all out," she said.  
  
Randy laughed, "Well we can't be staying in some second rate hotel room; we deserve the best, because we are the best." Nicole smiled; she was starting to actually like Randy's arrogant ways.  
  
The door opened and in walked Hunter, Batista, and Ric. From the looks of it they had been at the gym. Hunter smiled and shook his head, "Finally decided to get up didn't you?" Nicole looked at him, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Come on, just leave her alone" Ric shouted as he made his way to his room.  
  
Nicole looked over at Batista, who was downing a glass of water "Thanks for letting me stay in your room."  
  
Batista smirked, "It was no problem, actually I quite enjoyed myself, and I'm sure you did too."  
  
Hunter and Randy watched as Nicole tried to figure out what Dave had meant by that comment. It finally dawned on her, and she looked on with wide eyes, "Are you sure?"  
  
"Oh ya," Hunter spoke, "You were screaming his name all night"  
  
"I don't remember" she whispered embarrassed.  
  
"I can always help you remember" Batista pointed out. Nicole looked at him, "What happened last night?" she asked.  
  
"You were really upset." Randy began "we came back here, you didn't want to stay at your place with Stacy, so you came too. You had a little too much to drink, and then you were all over Dave. After a bit, Hunter, Ric and I went to bed, and you stayed with Dave. I'm not so sure what happened after" he finished.  
  
Nicole stood up; her headache seemed to have diminished. She tried to remember last night, but everything was a blur. She felt like such an idiot. She didn't even remember sleeping with him; actually she felt more like a slut than anything else.  
  
"Don't worry Princess, I'm sure Batista wont mind helping you remember" Hunter tried to stifle a laugh.  
  
Nicole caught on, "You assholes! I can't believe you would do that to me; lie to me when you know damn well I can't remember anything. And you," she pointed at Batista, "ahhh" she walked over and hit his shoulder "you'll be lucky if I ever even fantasize about having sex with you ever again!" She stormed past them, leaving them all in a fit of laughter. She walked to the living room, and plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels, noticing there wasn't much on. She finally decided on 'The PowderPuff Girls' as Dave walked over and sat next to her.  
  
"So you fantasize about having sex with me do you?" Dave whispered into her ear.  
  
"You only wish I do" Nicole said coolly, not taking her eyes off the TV.  
  
"Come on Princess, I'm sorry. You know we were just screwing with you" he turned to face her. When she didn't reply he took the remote and shut off the TV.  
  
"What the fuck. I was watching that." She sighed. "Fine okay you're forgiven"  
  
Batista smiled, "Do I get a kiss?"  
  
"Don't push your luck"  
  
"So what really happened last night?" she inquired.  
  
"Well, like Randy said you came to stay with us and you got pretty drunk so I let you stay in my room. I slept on the couch if you're wondering. You have to admit, it was a good joke." He chuckled.  
  
Nicole smiled, "I guess, it was sorta funny now that I think of it. But don't you ever do that to me again. And that goes for all of you" she shouted. Nicole turned the TV back on and continued to watch the show. After a while she let her mind drift; she began to think about her friends, or the people who were her friends. She wondered what they were doing right now. The girls were probably shopping, and the guys were probably plotting some revenge against Evolution.  
  
She stood and went outside where her fellow Evolution members were. She sat in the empty seat next to Hunter as she listened to them talk. They were trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. They had also decided that tonight they would go out to a club. They all looked at Nicole waiting a response.  
  
"Helllooo, anyone there. Nicole," she looked up at Hunter with an apologetic look, "what do you want to do today?"  
  
"I don't know" she replied. She wasn't really in the mood to do anything. Since she had woken up, she had been in one of her ugly moods. Her headache was gone, but she still felt all weird inside. She had been looking forward to shopping with her friends, but that had gone down the drain.  
  
"Weren't you supposed to go shopping with your friends?" Randy asked her.  
  
"Which friends?" Nicole asked bluntly. "I'm sorry Randy, I didn't mean to snap... again."  
  
Hunter looked at her and sighed, he hated to see her like this. As much as he hated to admit it he didn't like seeing her hurt and upset. He knew how much it would hurt her to turn on all her friends; he just didn't think it would hit her this hard. He had put her up to this, and even though neither of them had pressured her into joining, he felt responsible for her being like this. She just looked so helpless sitting with her knees pulled up to her chin in nothing but an oversized Evolution t-shirt. It reminded him of when he had first met her, she had been fifteen, but she was much more beautiful now.  
  
He wanted to make it up to her, he just didn't know how. But, it finally dawned on him, "Go take a shower" she looked at him confused, "were going to go shopping."  
  
"Hunter..." she began to protest.  
  
"No, we can all profit from this. I need some new stuff, and you wanted to shop. Go get ready."  
  
"I don't have all of my stuff here. I need to go back to my room and get it."  
  
"Alright lets go," Hunter said standing up.  
  
"No," she placed a hand on his, "I need to go alone, just in case anyone is there"  
  
Nicole rode down the elevator to the room she had shared with Stacy. She hoped that no one was there; she wasn't in the mood to fight with anyone. She slowly walked off and reached her room, she walked in and breathed a sigh of relief when she found it empty. She packed up all her stuff, double- checking that she hadn't left anything in the bathroom, etc.  
  
As she placed her notebook into her suitcase, a picture fell to the ground. She picked it up; it was a picture of her and Chris. They looked so happy together. It had been taken at her 21st birthday party, five months ago. They were sitting in a booth at club Velvet, his arm was around her shoulders, and they were both beaming. She remembered that day so vividly; she had told all her friends she didn't want a party for her birthday, but they panned her a big bash instead. All of her friends had been there and she had been so surprised. She brushed away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes, and placed the picture back in the notebook. Heading for the door, she took her keycard and placed it on the small table. She turned her back and with one last glance around the room she left.  
  
Within an hour she was ready to go shopping with the boys. Ric had decided he had "better things to do than waste his money" as he so lightly put it, so it was only Hunter, Randy and Dave who were joining her on her quest. She changed into a pale yellow Juicy Couture dress and a pair of matching yellow Chinese slippers. She pinned back some loose strands of hair, and they were out.  
  
For about 4 hours they shopped in every store on Rodeo Drive. Randy, Dave, and Hunter had each picked up 3 new suits at Armani among other things. Nicole too, decided that she should buy a few suits, as she was now apart of Evolution. They then went to Christian Dior, Prada, and all likes where she picked up many new outfits. They then ventured into a newly opened Manolo shoe store and a Louis Vuitton store where she obtained a new purse courtesy of Hunter.  
  
By six o'clock, the three men were tired of walking around holding dozens of bags. Hunter had never seen any woman shop so much in the matter of hours. She had spent so much money, but she didn't even seem to care about the prices. He watched on in awe as she paid $800 for a pair of Manolos. When they left the last store he called the limo to come pick them up. He then turned to face Nicole, but she wasn't there. He asked Randy and Dave and they said that they hadn't seen her. He searched and finally saw her looking into the window of a pet shop across the street.  
  
He ran over to her and put a hand on her back as he too peered into the window, "Thought I lost you for a second"  
  
She smiled up at him, "Oh Hunter aren't they cute."  
  
She pointed to a small white dog that was looking at them, "So why don't you just buy one?" he asked.  
  
She looked at him, "Hunter..." but before she could finish he had pulled her into the pet shop. Before she knew it, Hunter was buying her the small white dog from the window. She tried to protest with him, but finally gave in; she knew he was a very stubborn man and wouldn't change his mind. The saleslady informed them that it was a Bichon Frisee, and that it would not grow any bigger. Nicole walked out of the store with a big smile on her face, and a new puppy.  
  
After arriving at the hotel, Nicole put all her new purchases away. She was very contented with what she had bought; it had been a good shopping day. She had had a lot of fun with Hunter, Randy and Dave. She hadn't expected to have that much fun with them. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was now 7 o'clock. She had a couple hours before she knew she should start getting ready for going out. She was a little tired so she decided it would be best to take a little nap.  
  
She walked over to the living room, Tinkerbell- for that was what she named her dog- in tow, where Hunter was currently watching TV. She sat beside him as the puppy made itself comfortable on the carpet. She tried every which way to make herself comfortable, as Hunter looked on amused. He inwardly smiled as he continued to watch the show. Unexpectedly, he felt a pillow being placed on his lap, and then Nicole lay down placing her head upon it. He looked down at her and smiled and he began to stroke, and run his hands through her hair as she fell into a deep slumber.  
  
_**Author's Note:**_ WOW this chapter was really bad, yes I know. But its not my fault, I'm having some writers block at the moment. Hopefully next chapter will be better; it's going to be the club and whatever else. Review, thx. 


	10. Falling

_**Disclaimer:**_ Still own nothing but Nicole. Read and Review. Thanks a bunch to Jess420, AhitsAnjel, AnGeL BaBii, monika, wataphreek and Analei for the reviews.

Chapter 10: Falling

Hunter woke Nicole as he lightly stroked her arm coaxing her to get up. She yawned as she sat up asking him what time it was. He informed her that it was now 9 o'clock and that they'd be leaving, the latest, by 11 for club Oasis. Nicole was suddenly wide-awake as she heard that she only had 2 hours to "make herself pretty". Hunter, Randy, and Dave all laughed and assured her that she would look great no matter what. Of course she didn't believe them and yelled at them even more for lying to her.

For approximately two hours Hunter was banned from his own room; thank god he had gotten ready earlier. All they saw of Nicole was her running around frantically trying to get ready; it truly amused them. At 10:45, Evolution, who were becoming quite restless, told her that they would be leaving in 5 minutes with or without her. She again yelled some obscenities at them, but finally emerged.

Hunter watched her come out of his room, and instantly thought that she was well worth the wait. She had changed into a low cut Dolce & Gabbana silk charcoal halter-top. He could see glimpses of her tattoo on the small of her back where the shirt ended, and her belly button piercing on her toned tan stomach. She had paired it up with a silk crème coloured skirt by the same designer. The skirt looked as if it had been ripped at the bottom for it had many different lengths. She had accessorized with crème coloured stilettos that tied around the ankle in ballerina fashion, a small silver necklace with a diamond encrusted cross, and a small purse. She had straightened her blond hair and he saw that it reached her mid back.

He watched her cheerily walk into the room and twirl around for them, realizing they were all staring. "You like" she said as she posed for them. When they didn't say anything she laughed, "I guess I'll take that as a yes." She stood there a few more moments tapping her foot, all three of them staring at her, "Are we leaving or what. You were just bitching at me for taking so damn long, telling me were going to leave in 5, and wow were still here."

"Right. Lets go," they all said. Nicole rolled her eyes as she strutted past them outside, the three men of Evolution following her, watching her every move.

After a short limo ride they arrived at Oasis. They walked over to the front of the line, and after Hunter spoke to the bouncer they were let inside. Nicole liked the fact that she didn't have to wait in line. Sure, she never waited in line at any other club before either, but that was under different circumstances; they would either let her in because of the way she looked, or because she was with someone famous like Chris, or Trish. But now, she was let in because she was famous, and she was part of Evolution. Being apart of the group sure had its perks. She followed Hunter as he led them to the back to one of the VIP rooms. As she followed him, she failed to recognize the people that were seated at a nearby table.

Stacy Keibler looked around the club for something more interesting than what was going on at her own table. Trish and Jay were at it again; they never stopped fighting did they. She knew, as did everyone at their table, that they had a very love/hate relationship and that within ten minutes they'd be all-over each other. She looked at the faces of the people at her table; Chris Jericho, Adam, and Matt Hardy were downing a round of shots as Chris Benoit, and Shawn Micheals were talking about, well she really didn't know and didn't want to get involved. Lita and Victoria were chatting while sipping margaritas, and just as she had presumed Trish, and Jay were now over their little fight. She sighed as she looked up, "You guys, isn't that Nicole over there" she said excitedly.

Chris looked over to where Stacy was pointing, and sure enough there was Nicole with the rest of Evolution. "Well it looks like she's getting along just fine with her new friends" he said bitterly.

"What the hell is wrong with you Chris," Stacy erupted. She had had enough. Ever since last night all Jericho had talked about was how Nicole had "turned" on them. "You're her best-fucking-friend, how the hell can you do a total 360 on her"

"Well let me see Stace, she went with Evolution who she knows we all hate, and she slammed Shawn on the head with a fucking steel chair. That's how I can. She's only thinking about herself, who cares what we want. She's a spoiled little girl and I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. So from now on I'm going to be taking care of myself and I suggest you all do the same. 'Cuz believe it or not, she is very much like Hunter, Randy, and Dave; she'll use anyone and do anything to get what she wants." Chris was furious; he had been itching to let that out since yesterday.

Stacy looked back over at Chris, "It's not like she hit **_you_** on the head with a chair, it was Shawn, and she's hated him ever since they broke up, no offence" she said as she looked at Shawn.

"Well with all due respect Stacy, she did hit **_me _**with a chair and quite frankly I'm not all too happy and I don't blame Jericho for being angry either. He and Nikki have been best friends for a long time. He's always trying to protect her, and what does she do she goes and hit him where she knows it'll hurt the hardest. And for what reason, to be with Evolution. To be with Hunter, who she has hated for as long as I can remember. Jericho has every damn right to be angry, and you should too, she was your best friend too" Shawn was also furious. Nicole had played him and led him right into Evolution's little trap. He thought she had changed and that they could settle their differences, but he was so very wrong.

Stacy stood up, "That's exactly it, she is my best friend, and best friends help each other. I am not going to be some pretentious bitch to her because she's with Evolution. We don't even know why she did what she did. We haven't even given her the opportunity to talk to us. And you all just sit here like you know exactly what's going on; but you don't." She closed her eyes for a moment, and then reopened them, "I feel like I'm stuck in the 7th grade. I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions here; you guys are my friends, but so is Nicole; and I am not going to act the part of the hurt victim."

Chris stood up and walked over to where Stacy stood, "Stacy you're setting yourself up for a downfall; she's just going to use you" he said as he fingered a piece of her hair.

She pulled away from him, "Well that's a chance I'm willing to take." She looked over at the rest of her group. Most of them had their heads down, or were pretending they were doing something. Obviously none of them wanted to join her so she would be all on her own; but she sure as hell didn't mind. They all said Nicole was acting like a spoiled brat, but they were doing the exact same thing. And if they wanted to act like that, then she wasn't going to stop them. She swiftly grabbed her purse off the table and walked over to the ladies room.

Back in the VIP section, Nicole finished up her drink and laughed as she saw the leggy brunette that was with Hunter try to kiss him. He kept pulling away, not wanting to kiss her, but the girl thought he was just playing hard to get and kept trying. Nicole stood up, and noticing her actions Hunter did the same.

He walked over to her, leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Can you help me get her the hell away from me."

Nicole giggled, "But why Hunter, I thought you liked her. The two of you seemed quite cozy a few minutes ago." She paused and smiled, "Where has Hunter the 'ladies man' gone to."

Hunter narrowed his eyes, "This isn't very funny you know. She's the one trying to get cozy all up on me, I don't want anything to do with it."

Nicole cocked her head to the side, "Aw, poor baby. Is poor Hunter scared of the little girl." She ran her hands down the front of his baby blue shirt and then whispered, "Well I'm off to the ladies room. You think you can stay by yourself for five minutes." But before he had a chance to object she had already gone.

She entered the ladies room to find Stacy Keibler standing at the mirror. They stared at each other for a minute before Stacy spoke.

"Hey, I thought I saw you here." Stacy smiled.

Nicole smiled, she was sure Stacy would have been mad at her, but she wasn't. She had under-estimated her, but she sure was happy that she still had Stacy. She knew her other friends wouldn't take it as lightly as Stacy; she was just so forgiving.

"You're not mad at me?" Nicole asked hesitantly.

Stacy bit her bottom lip. She was a little mad, but Nicole was her best friend: she couldn't stay mad at her for long. She just wanted to know why she was with Evolution. "Not really. I guess I was more shocked than anything else. I mean every one else is mad, especially Chris."

"I know" Nicole sighed, "I didn't want to hurt him like that. And now he thinks I'm like the most horrible person in the world." She sat down on one of the chairs, as tears began to trickle down.

"Nikki" Stacy bent down in front of her, "just give him some time to cool off. He's just really upset and angry now, but he'll come around. You know he will; he can't stay angry at you for long.

Nicole sniffled, "You think?"

"I know he will" Stacy smiled. "Now get up and dry those tears; it's gonna ruin your makeup."

Nicole laughed as she did what Stacy told her to, "You should be getting back to Chris, don't wanna get him mad."

Stacy's signature smile soon faded, "I sorta "left them" you could say. I wanted to come and find you and talk. I wanted to know why you joined Evolution. And I guess Chris got mad and I just left."

"Stacy, I don't want them to be mad at you because of me. I'll be okay, don't worry."

Stacy shook her head, "No, you're my best friend and friends help each other out and they are loyal to one another. So that's what I'll be. But I gotta ask Nikki, why Evolution"

"I know it's weird, I mean Hunter and I never really got along and all. But Evolution they are just, I don't know, there powerful and I don't know it's strange but like I feel like I'm drawn to them or something. I know it's crazy but it's like I'm supposed to be with them." She looked over at Stacy, "I thought about this for a long time, like almost two weeks, before I came to the decision. And I knew the consequences; that everyone would be mad."

"But why would you want to be with people that you hate, like Hunter" Stacy asked.

"That's another thing; Hunter has been so nice to be lately. Like were actually getting along and everything. And Randy and Dave too, there not like you think they are. I think they are all just misunderstood you know. If you would just talk to them or get to know them you would see."

Stacy smiled, "Well if this is what you want to do then I'm not going to stop you. I trust your judgment, just be careful okay?"

"I should be getting back. You wanna join us?"

Stacy shook her head, "No, I don't think I should, I don't wanna get more into this mess than is required, no offence. I think I'll just go back home." Stacy headed for the door, and then turned back around, "If you ever wanna share a room with me, my door will always be open to you."

Nicole smiled and walked over to Stacy, the two Divas hugged and then left the washroom going in different directions. Nicole walked back over to the VIP room and noticed that the leggy brunette that was with Hunter was still bothering him. They were sitting in one of the two black leather couches that occupied the room. The other sofa was seating Randy and a blond, while Dave was at the bar with his own blond. When Nicole entered the room both Randy and Dave walked over to her.

"What took you so long? You okay? Did something happen?" Randy asked as Dave looked on.

"Nothing happened, actually I'm better than before. I just saw Stacy in the bathroom and we talked. So were good, actually she was sticking up for me with Chris and everyone." Nicole smiled looking at Randy

"Does that mean that the rest of them are here?" Dave asked through gritted teeth.

"Dave, don't do anything. At least not here" she laughed, "I don't want you guys getting involved okay, this is my problem." She warned.

"We're already involved Nicole" Randy stated. "So...uhh...where did Stacy go."

Nicole smiled, "she went back to the hotel, why? Does Mr. Orton have a thing for Ms. Keibler?

Randy looked down at his feet and then back up, "No." but he quickly changed he subject, "Poor Hunter. That chick just won't take no for an answer will she. I think he's gonna have to pry her off tonight or something."

The three of them laughed as the watched the scene before them. The woman had placed herself on Hunter's knee in an attempt to keep him seated. She was trying to feed Hunter strawberries with whipped cream but Hunter kept refusing and she kept getting angrier by the minute. Hunter looked at them mouthing the word "Help" and faking a smile in her direction.

"You know, someone should go and save him" Dave implied as he stared at Nicole. Soon Randy too was smirking at Nicole.

"Why me?" she whined.

"Because you're a woman" Randy smirked.

Nicole pouted, "That is so unfair." She rolled her eyes and walked towards Hunter and the woman. She cleared her throat gaining their attention and Hunter looked up at her smiling. She batted her eyelashes "Hunter, you wanna dance?"

The brunette woman stood up and so did Hunter, "We were in the middle of something. So why don't you go find someone else to dance with."

Nicole licked her lips, "I don't think you get it do you honey, I want to dance with Hunter, and by the look of things he wants to dance with me too. So why don't you just go find some other rich guy that you think you can sweet talk cuz it sure as hell isn't working here." Nicole grabbed Hunter's hand and walked over to the dance floor.

"You owe me big time for that one, Helmsley" Nicole shouted over the music.

Hunter chuckled and pulled her closer to him as "Dip it Low" by Christina Milian started to blare throughout the club. She placed her arms around his neck as they moved their bodies to the rhythm of the music. They danced in silence, letting the music take over. Nicole turned around so that her back was facing him. Hunter pulled her as close to him as he could as she grinded on him.

She was so into it that she didn't notice someone watching, but when she opened her eyes she finally saw Chris Jericho staring at her. She stiffened at the sight of him, and Hunter knew something was wrong. He looked in the direction that she was looking in and saw Jericho. He mentally kicked himself; he should have known they would have been here. This was the last thing Nicole needed right now, another fight with Jericho, and just as they were getting closer.

Nicole, not wanting to see the disappointed look over Jericho's face turned back to face Hunter and placed her head on his shoulder. "You wanna get out of here?" he asked her.

"No, I can't avoid him forever Hunter. I'm just going to have to deal, and so is he." She replied.

Hunter didn't try to press the situation. He knew by the tone of her voice that she was serious. She was going to have to go on with or without Jericho, and luckily for Hunter it was without him. They continued dancing a few more songs, which brightened up her mood. Hunter thoroughly enjoyed dancing with her. He loved the way she moved, the way she looked, and the way she smelled. Hell, he loved everything about her; the way she did what she thought was right, the way she spoke, walked, smiled, everything. He tried to push these thoughts out of his head, but he just couldn't. She was intoxicating, and she had taken over his mind.

As Nicole continued to dance her thoughts kept going back to Hunter. She kept thinking about how good he looked tonight in his blue shirt and black pants. She had begun to enjoy his company, and wanted to be around him more and more each day. She didn't know why; she had always hated him. But now, it was like he was a totally different person; he was kind, caring and funny; characteristics that she never thought Hunter would acquire. She raised her head and looked into his blue eyes; he was truly spellbinding. She had fallen for everything thing about him, and she didn't know how to get out.

_**Author's Note**_: YAY, another chapter is done. This one took me awhile in between work and just being lazy, but it's finished. So yes, it's going to be a Hunter/Nicole fic, so for all those of you who were rooting for Randy, or Dave i'm sorry lol. So I'm thinking of doing a little love triangle with Randy/Stacy/Jericho. If you all are up for that let me know. Until next time......XtremeDiva.


	11. Good and Evil

**_Disclaimer: _**Same old stuff, I own no one except Nicole...

**_A/N:_** Wow its been long since I've updated, but I haven't really been inspired with this story. Thanks to all those who reviewed, and have been patient, hope you like this chapter.

Read and Review!

_**Chapter 11: Good and Evil**_

Nicole was awaked the next morning by the blinding light of the sun. She rolled over onto her stomach and pulled the sheets up further over her head. She didn't know the exact time, but she knew it was way too early for her to be waking up. She silently cursed herself for not closing the drapes the night before, in an attempt to gain more sleep. After a few moments of thinking that last thought over, she realized she had indeed closed the drapes, why the hell were they opened now?

She slowly let her head peak through a small whole in the sheets and saw the frame of a well built man standing near the balcony doors. She sighed a sigh of relief as she realized it was only Dave and sat up in her bed, and looked at the alarm clock on the bed side table which read 11:00.

Batista heard her stir and looked back over to where she lay. He shook his head as he watched her yawn and stretch, "Glad you finally decided to join us Princess."

Nicole cocked her head, "I didn't really have a choice there did I, Big Man. How the hell is a girl supposed to sleep, when someone is letting all the damn sun in the room. I don't know about you, but I certainly can't sleep when that happens."

Dave once again laughed, the girl had quite an attitude, and it was beginning to grow on him. Randy had been right about saying that she was perfect for Evolution; she possessed all of the right characteristics in just the right amount. He knew she was enjoying her time with Evolution, or so it seemed. But on the other hand, he knew it had cost her a lot to be apart of their team. He was suddenly broken out of his thoughts by the sound of the front door opening and slamming closed.

Nicole looked from Dave to the door of her room and back to Dave again with a puzzled expression over her face. Dave didn't seem started by this at all as he knew who it was and why it had most probably happened.

"What the hell was that?" asked Nicole. She could now hear Hunter's booming voice coming from the living room. He was certainly upset and was cursing whoever he was angry with all the way to hell. She swung her legs over the bed, and with one last glance at Dave, rushed out of the room with him in tow.

There in the living room of their hotel suite stood Hunter pacing the room like a mad man. There was broken glass all over the floor and Nicole could hear them being crunched into little pieces by his feet. Ric Flair stood a few feet away from him trying to calm him down. Randy now rushed in from his bathroom, where he had previously been showering, obviously aware that something was going on.

"Hey there Champ. Now just calm down." Flair soothed. "Whatever it is just forget about it for now, we'll get it when the time is right."

"When the time is right! I think the right time is right now. I have have had enough of that son of a bitch, walking around here like he's some martyr. Always damn preaching about doing the right thing, no this time it's too much. Shawn Micheals is finally going to get what's coming towards him." Hunter kept rambling as he continued to pace the floor.

Nicole couldn't help but let a small smile creep on her face. She knew it was a serious time right now, but she couldn't help feel some sort of satisfaction after hearing the words that had just come out of Hunter's mouth. Shawn Micheals was going to pay; and there had never been anything sweeter than that. She felt a pair of eyes on her, and quickly changed the expression on her face.

"At least some one is willing to show that they support this idea" Hunter claimed, obviously referring to Nikki.

"We all support you man, I just think you should calm down first, get all your thoughts together and then we can sort this all out." Dave suggested.

"Dave's right man," Randy voiced, "We need to get it together and come up with a logical idea."

"I don't have time to sit around. I want this to end and the sooner the better."

"Hunter, the guys are right." Nicole walked over to him carefully trying to avoid the broken glass. She took his hand and began to lead him towards one of the many balconies. She turned back and informed the remaining 3 members of Evolution, that she would take care of it and to not worry, before returning to Hunter. She closed the doors leading to the inside and turned to see that he was leaning against the railing. She watched him a few more moments, trying to figure out what was going on inside his mind.

He turned, and was now leaning over the railing, his head in his hands. "You can't stand there and say that you don't agree with me Nikki. This has been building for all too long, and now it's finally time to finish it."

"What the hell happened while you were gone? Or did you just have an epiphany." she asked dismissing his question.

"I was at the gym, everything was completely fine. I was minding my own damn business, when who shows up, Shawn. And you know Shawn he always has to make a show, always has to be the 'Show Stoppa'. So what does he do, he starts in on me, so I thought fuck this and I basically starting ripping into his ego and what not. And Shawn is the type of guy who can dish it, but you know he can't take it, so he starts getting all riled up, starting shit on you and what you did, and that's when I had had it..."he trailed off and looked at her.

Nicole looked down and blushed, "...and then what happened."

"Well I guess you can say that I...snapped. I jumped him and we started to fight, until some security guards rushed in and pulled me off him, and thank God they did. I don't know what I would have done to Shawn if they hadn't stepped in." He walked away from where the railing was supporting him and stood right in front of Nicole.

"Dammit Hunter, do you know that if someone had called the cops your ass would be in jail right now. You're lucky no one else was hurt in your scuffle with Shawn, 'cuz if there would have been..."

"Oh come on, I'm Triple H baby, they wouldn't have thrown he in jail. And if they had, I know it would be only a matter of minutes until you bailed me out." He advanced until he was as close to her as he could be.

"I guess I would..." She looked down at her feet once more, the predicament they were in giving her butterflies in her stomache.

Hunter watched for a few moments, before lifting her chin so that their eyes met. Ever since the night before at the club, he longed to kiss her but he hadn't found the perfect moment. Well, if there was a perfect moment it was this one. He leaned in, and felt her adjust her body so that she was closer to him. His lips lightly grazed hers, causing a shiver down her spine, and just as he was about to capture her lips,

"Hey you guys hungry?" Randy pulled open the door and suddenly froze, full knowing what he had interrupted.

Hunter immediately moved away, and Nicole feigned embarassment. Randy grinned and stepped back into the room, closing the doors behind him.

"So are they hungry" Flair asked.

Randy continued grinning, "Not for food..."

Randy was interrupted by Hunter and Nicole walking into the room. Hunter gave Randy a look, that told him not to tell anyone what he had seen outside.

Ric, completely dismissing what was going on, was still holding room service on the phone, and was beginning to get impatient, " You two want anything or not?"

Nicole and Hunter both nodded their heads no, and Ric continued his conversation on the phone. When he was donw ordering, he turned back to them, "So are you calm now Champ. Can we talk about this situation with Shawn rationally now." Hunter nodded his head, and the five of them walked over and sat on the couches.

Nicole sat back next to Hunter and began, "I think if we are gonna do this, is has to be done right. We have to plan everything, there is no way we can do this by winging it. Every step of this plan, has to be approved by every single on of us, and we have to all know what eachother is doing. Shawn is smarter than he looks and if one of us fucks up he's gonna realize, so we have to be in sync."

They all stared at her, "Sounds like you know what you're talking about" Dave inquired.

"Well, I have thought of ruining Shawn on more than one occasion, I just never actually went through with anything."

"Nicole's right, if we do this we do it right. We have everything planned. I think I know exactly how we can do this, and we are all going to have to help out." Everyone nodded in agreement, as Hunter began to reveal his plan.

* * *

Later that night, Nicole lay on her bed reading a magazine. She had just taken a nice, long bath to relax and was now in a knee length pink satin robe. She heard a knock at her door, and told whoever it was to come in; she wasn't surprised to see that it was Hunter.

He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of her bed, "This won't take long, I just wanted to thank you."

Nicole placed her magazine aside and sat up, "For what?"

"For what you did earlier, you calmed me down, and we ended up coming up with a pretty hot plan, if I do say so myself."

Nicole laughed, "Ya it is pretty hot, Shawn won't know what hit him, or who for that matter." She looked down at her hands in her lap and then continued, "Actually, I should be the one thanking you."

Hunter cocked his head, "For what?"

"You stood up for me with Shawn, and I really appreciate it. You know Hunter, if someone would have told me a year ago, that you and I would be here sitting together having a civilized conversation, and actually getting along, I would have never believed them. I guess we have come along way, and, and...So ya thanks." She again looked down, for the fiftieth time that day.

Hunter watched her blush and smiled, "If you think for one second that I was going to let Shawn Micheals, or anyone for that matter, talk about you, in any way, then you have another thing coming."

Nicole smiled, "Well thank you, I appreciate that very much,"

"Ya, you said that already"

"Oh sorry" she bent her head in embarrassment, her blonde hair cascading over her face.

Hunter reached out and placed her hair back out of her face. She looked back up at him, as he leaned in closer to her and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Nicole leaned in closer as she continued to kiss him, not wanting it to end. After a few moments they broke apart, neither one knowing what to say.

"Well I'll let you get some rest, Goodnight" he kissed her forehead and then slipped out the door.

As soon as he was gone, Nicole couldn't hold her smile back any longer. She had wanted Hunter to kiss her for the longest time, and after Randy interrupting them she didn't think it would ever happen. But it had happened, and Nicole couldn't have been any happier. She lay back down, and closed her eyes, as thoughts of Hunter and the kiss they had just shared invaded her mind.


	12. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

**Disclaimer:** I own no one except Nicole...

**A/N:** Here's the next installment, i hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to those who reviewed, keep them coming...

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows**

Nicole walked in the hotel café and sat herself at small table in the back corner of the room. She had been able to slip out of Evolution's hotel room without waking any of the men. Although Nicole enjoyed being with them, she did still need some time to herself, and lately she hadn't had any of that. So, this quiet breakfast was to be her "alone time" for the week, or however long she had to go.

She pulled out her newest copies of Vogue and Cosmopolitan and set them on the table, as a waiter greeted and handed her a menu. A few moments later she was ready to order. She waved over the waiter who took her order of a cranberry muffin and a large cappuccino.

A few minutes later, Nicole was peacefully enjoying her breakfast while reading a article in her magazine. She was so involved in her task, that she didn't notice someone coming over to the table an occupying the chair opposite her.

To gain Nicole's attention, the diva picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip, "This is good."

Nicole, startled, looked up to find Stacy sitting across from her coffee cup in hand. "Hey you, long time no see"

Stacy smiled, "Ya, been pretty busy. I just had a shoot over in Mexico for RAW magazine." She looked around, "Trying to get away from Evolution?"

Nicole laughed, "Never! I'm Just trying to fit in some 'Nicole time'"

"Right, because I'm sure you haven't had enough of Hunter and the rest of them"

"Oh, come on Stacy. They are really great guys, if you would just get to know them. Trust me okay. I thought exactly what you think before I actually got to spend any time with them. And yes, Hunter can be a jerk sometimes, but he's not most of the time."

"Well," Stacy said in amusement "haven't we become quite taken with Hunter. Is there a hint of sincerity I hear in your voice, or am I going crazy."

Nicole blushed, "I don't know Stacy. Maybe..."

"No way! The last time we spoke you said the two of you were getting along great, which is weird enough in my opinion, but now your telling me you actually might have deeper feelings for the man!"

"I don't know Stace..."

She was cut of by Stacy, "I just cannot comprehend how this can happen. The two of you have **always** hated one anothers guts; practically wished one another dead, and now you tell me your falling in love with him!"

"Jesus Stacy, may to go and blow things out of proportion. I never said I was in love with him, that was your over active mind working in over drive. All I said was that I think that I might like him. I'm really not all that sure."

"Well okay, lets try to figure this out. And lets pray to god that this is all just one big misunderstand." She put on a huge grin and giggled, "Okay seriously, if you like him that's okay. As long as your happy that's all that matters."

"Thanks Stace, that means a lot right now." Nicole sighed as thoughts of how angry her friends, especially Jericho, were. She had never meant to hurt them, however they didn't see it that way. Luckily, she still had Stacy; she would never let her down.

Stacy, sensing that a mood change was definitely needed, continued "So, what's been going on with the two of you, for you to have these feelings?"

Nicole looked up and smiled, thoughts of the kiss they shared the previous night racing in her mind. "The usual, just hanging out you know..."

"Have you two gone on a date yet?"

"No, not yet..."

"...but you're hoping there will be one?"

"Well, I don't know. I don't wanna say it and then jinks it."

"Because...?"

"I don't know. Maybe because every relationship I have always turns out bad. I always manage to ruin it, and I don't want to ruin this one before it even has a chance to begin." She took a sip of her coffee and sighed.

"You're really serious about this, aren't you? Like you really like him Nicole, don't you?" Stacy had come to realize that maybe Nicole liked Hunter even more than she knew.

"I guess I do. I mean last night after he kissed me, it was all I could think about..."

"He kissed you!" Stacy nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement. "How, tell me everything"

"Well, he was originally gonna kiss me while we were outside on the balcony, but Randy decided to make an unexpected appearance. Then later on in the evening he came to see me in my room and we talked and then he kissed me." As Nicole spoke about the kiss, a smile began to form.

"And...what was it like? Did you feel a spark..."

"I don't know about the spark, I think that's only in the movies, but I did enjoy it" Nicole blushed.

"Well, I am glad that your happy Nikki. You deserve it."

At that moment, Nicole's cell phone started to ring. She pulled it out of her bag, and checked her caller ID; it was her father. Nicole hadn't spoken to him since she had informed him she would be working for the WWE, and wasn't quite sure she wanted to speak to him right now either. She decided it was best to not answer his phone calls and that she would call him when she was good and ready to talk to him. She placed her phone back into her purse and took a gulp of her coffee.

Stacy sighed and pulled the phone back out of the purse. She knew, as did most of their friends, that Nicole was more like her father than she would ever admit. They were both very stubborn, and never backed down to no one. That's how Stacy knew that both the phone wouldn't stop ringing and that Nicole would never answer it.

"Hello...Oh hi Steve, how are you?...I'm great thanks...Yes she's right here, hold on..." Stacy looked over to Nicole, "Its for you"

* * *

Nicole gave her a spiteful glare and took her phone, "Hi daddy, how are you?"

"I'm just great, and how are you?" Steve asked.

"Great, everything is great. How's mom?"

"She's fine. I actually just spoke to her; she seemed very interested in your new situation with Evolution. Mind to explain?"

Nicole took a deep breath; her father seemed quite calm and she hoped it stayed that way. "Well, what is it exactly that you want to know? I thought you would have at least been a little happy, after all I did slam Shawn in the head with a chair." she smiled at that thought.

"Yes, I suppose there was some good that came out of it." he paused "I just want to know why?"

"Daddy, you have always told me to take every opportunity that comes my way, and joining Evolution, was just that; an opportunity. Who knows where it may lead me, but that's the fun part, and I'm enjoying myself, so that's all that matters.

Her father sighed, "Okay, you're a grown woman, you can do what you want. Not that you'd listen to me if I told you what to do anyways. Just be careful Princess."

Nicole broke out into a smile; her father hadn't called her that since she was a little girl. "I will, don't worry. I'll take to you later."

She closed the phone and continued to be confused by her father's sudden new attitude. Her father would have never been this calm; she wondered what had gotten into him. Not that she really minded this new attitude he seemed to have; it gave her much more freedom, but she was a little startled that he taken it so well, and even went as far as accepting it. She decided that it was best not to over think it, and that she should just leave things as they were; after all everything seemed to be working in her favor.

* * *

After Nicole ended her phone call, she and Stacy conversed a while longer and then decided to make their ways back to their hotel rooms. After Stacy stepped out of the elevator, Nicole continued upwards until she reached the topmost floor and entered her hotel room.

Randy, Dave, and Hunter were sitting around the large wood table as Ric paced the room. They seemed to be in deep thought. She walked over to her room and dumped her bag on the bed and walked back to the main room. She sat down at one of the empty chairs next to Hunter and looked around at the three men.

"Is this some sort of ritual or something," she finally asked. "..because I really don't see what the purpose is."

"Very cute blondie, but we here are trying to figure out what we are going to do on RAW tonight. Now if your interested, you can help us." Dave informed her.

She stuck her tongue out at him, " Well, you all seem to be making great progress, after all Randy has just now shifted positions, and maybe just maybe he had got something. Ah nope, he was just scratching his head."

"Someone's in a bad mood. By the way did we tell you, people with bad attitudes get shipped out the door." Dave smirked.

Nicole eyed him and then crumbled up a napkin and threw it at him. "Don't be mean Dave" she said in a small voice.

Dave chuckled, "Act as innocent as you want, I know you're a vindictive, power hungry, spoiled little girl."

"I resent that! It's not true"

Ric had had enough "Would the two of you just stop it already! I'm having a hard enough time trying to think when its quiet I don't need to hear the two of you bickering. Now can the both of you please do something productive"

"Yes dad." they mocked him.

Both Dave and Nicole thought it best to stay quiet as they tried to come up with some sort of plan. However, the silence soon got to Nicole, and she couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"I really don't think we should try anything on Shawn tonight. It's too risky; he's probably expecting you to retaliate for what happened yesterday in the gym. I think it would be best to stay clear of him for a few weeks and then attack when he least expects it."

Hunter looked up, "She's right. If we give Shawn some time, he's going to hopefully forget about all this and go onto other things, and that's when we strike."

"So you're telling me we've been wasting our time here? Dammit Nikki, couldn't you have had this revelation a little earlier." Randy complained.

"Think of it as a practice for future brainstorming sessions" She suggested.

He rolled his eyes, "We should get going if we wanna make it to the arena on time."

* * *

Within ten minutes the five members of Evolution were seated comfortably in their limo on the way to the arena. Nicole was seated at the far end of the car with Hunter right next to her. Dave and Randy sat adjacent to them, with Ric across from them. As Ric, Randy and Dave spoke about their matched that night, Nicole was too preoccupied with her new puppy Tinkerbell. She remembered how Hunter hadn't hesitated to buy the puppy for her after she had said how much she liked it.

As Nicole continued to be entertained with Tinkerbell's antics, Hunter watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her face had this glow about it, that just radiated happiness. He knew it was infectious as it had gotten to him on more than one occasion, including this particular moment. As he continued to watch her, he didn't realize that they had reached their destination and that the driver had opened their doors, awaiting for their exit.

They got out of the limo and made their way into the arena. As they walked the halls to their locker room, all eyes were on them; especially on Nicole. She hadn't been to an arena since the night she joined Evolution, and she guessed that it was going to take some getting used to for everyone to see her with them. Obviously, people had been shocked to see Nicole align herself with Evolution, but she had hoped that it would have passed by now. As they continued down the hall, heads continued to turn and look in their direction. Nicole was beginning to feel a little self conscious, as she didn't like the looks she was receiving.

The other members of Evolution, who were used to being stared at as they made their ways throughout the arenas every night, noticed the stares Nicole was receiving. Hunter, who was more aware that any of the others, felt that she didn't deserve all this negative attention. It was none of their business whom she associate with, and no one had asked them to care. He had realized a long time ago that people here were all too involved in everyone elses lives. He had learned to not let what they all thought get to him, and he only hope that Nicole too would realize this, if not it would be her downfall.

As they turned a corner, he sent a menacing glare at all those looking in their direction. As soon as he had, most of then turned back to their tasks. He quickened his pace to meet up with Nicole and stood right by her. She obviously felt uncomfortable, as she was concentrating on watching the floor instead of those around her.

He moved closer to her and whispered in to her ear, "Don't let them get to you, that's all they want to do. They want to tear you down."

Nicole looked up and smiled. She knew Hunter was right, she couldn't let them get to her. She had to continue being strong; she wasn't going to feel guilty just because they didn't agree with her choice of friends. All she needed now was someone to be there for her and help her along the way.

As they continued to walk, Hunter placed his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze of encouragement. She smiled as they continued to walk the hallway hand in hand, maybe she had already found that someone.


	13. Wanderlust

**Dislaimer:** I own no one, escept Nicole.

**A/N:** I'm going to try and update thing as much as possible from now on. Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 13: Wanderlust**

Nicole sat at the small table on the balcony of her room painting her toenails. The sun was brightly shining, as it was early in the afternoon, and not a cloud was in sight.

As she continued her task, events of the night before swirled in her mind. She had finally come face to face with the consequences for her actions. Although, she never believed the reaction to her joining Evolution would be so strong, she knew that it would definitely be there.

She didn't ever thing people would react as they did; especially people whom didn't even know her. Every stagehand, referee and even some of the RAW roster seemed to have a negative outlook on what she had none, and had no problem letting their feelings be known.

As she first began receiving the stares and dirty looks, Nicole couldn't help but feel guilty. Not only that, but for some reason her confidence had dropped . If these people that she didn't even know had come to make such harsh judgements about her, what did that say about those who did know her? What were Trish and Amy saying? What were they feeling? She knew she could ask Stacy, but she didn't want the leggy Diva to get too involved in a problem that was never hers to begin with.

But, however bad she felt, there was always something there that kept her going: Hunter. The words he had whispered into her ear when they had first arrived at the arena had resonated through her mind the entire night, and continued to do so. _Don't let them get to you, that's all they want to do. They want to tear you down. _With that small boost of confidence, and Hunter by her side, Nicole knew she could make it through.

The rest of the night had been quite uneventful. Randy and Dave had both won their matches, and Hunter had further tried to gain some leverage over Chris Benoit, leading up to their match for the World Heavyweight Title. Nicole had decided against making an appearance, not wanting to hear what the fans had to say about her. Hunter had also thought it best for her to stay backstage during the tag match, and so Ric accompanied them instead.

She was caught off guard as someone cleared their throat in the doorway. She looked up and smiled seeing Hunter leaning against the door frame. He hair was loose, and he wore a black wife beater with his signature logo on it in white.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" he sat himself down beside her.

"Sure. How was the gym?"

"Uneventful, if that's what you mean. I didn't see Shawn at all, and I didn't get into a fight with anyone else." he grinned. "Actually, come to think of it, I haven't seen Shawn since the fight in the gym."

"I saw him yesterday," she looked over to him and saw the look on Hunter's face change, "I was passing down a hall and I saw him walk into a locker room."

"Did he see you?"

"I highly doubt it; I barely even noticed it was him." She went back to painting her nails.

"Good...Someone's obsessed with pink" he said with a laugh.

"It's not an_ obsession_ Hunter, I merely like the color."

"Well, if it's not an obsession as you say, then why is practically everything you own pink?"

"I told you: I like the color. Besides, not everything I have is pink. I have plenty of other colors in my wardrobe."

"Really?" he seemed skeptical. He looked over at her, and chuckled. She was wearing a pair of light pink Juicy short shorts, and a white baby- tee with "Princess" written in pink across her chest.

Nicole followed his gaze and realized he was staring at her attire. She shrugged realizing that maybe he was right, maybe. She stuck her tongue out at him as he chuckled.

"So what time are we leaving tonight?" she asked.

"The house show doesn't start until 8, so I'm thinking we should leave at 7."

"Sounds good," she paused, "I was thinking that next week on RAW we could make it official that I have joined Evolution." She looked over to him, wondering what his response might be.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Nothing specific yet, I just thought we could formally let everyone know, not that they don't already..."

"It doesn't matter what everyone thinks Nikki," he said reading her mind.

"I know. It's just that it sort of hurts to know that all these people see me in this different way now, as if I'm some power-hungry, spoiled little girl." she sighed.

"Are we supposed to think that you're not any of those things?" he smirked.

"Hunter!"she playfully slapped his arm

"No, seriously though," he sat up and faced her, " you really can't let them get under your skin, because if you do, you're screwed. Besides, you get used to it."

"Speaking from experience are we?" It was now her turn to smirk.

"Very funny, Nikki." he pouted.

Nicole smiled back at him, and they remained in silence, taking in the view.

Breaking the silence, Hunter spoke, "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"You mean after the house show?" She looked to him, and he nodded, "I dunno why?"

"Just asking," he paused "I was thinking, maybe after we could grab something to eat?"

Nicole tried to hide the huge grin that was starting to make its way onto her lips, "Are you asking me out on a date Hunter?"

He coughed, "No, its nothing that official."

"Well, okay then."

The pair continued their conversation, until it was time for them to get ready for the house show. Hunter left her room, and Nicole began her search for the perfect outfit for her diner with Hunter. After tearing her closet apart, she finally settled on a pair of form fitting black dress pants. She paired it with a dark purple velvet blazer by Marciano. She buttoned the first and only button, exposing her stomach, and her light blue lacy bra, along with some cleavage. She put a light coat of make up, consisting of eye liner, mascara and a shimmery eyeshadow, and applied some lipgloss. She grabbed her purse and giving herself one last glance in the mirror, she was off for the house show with the rest of Evolution.

* * *

The house show, much like that week's RAW, had gone off without a glitch. Randy and Dave both won their matches, after some interference by either Ric or Hunter.

Nicole had tried her best to keep out of sight; not wanting to have to deal with what was going on. Hunter and Ric had kept her company in the locker room, as Randy and Dave both got themselves ready for their matches, but she was then left alone to her thoughts when the aforementioned matches took place.

Randy's match had been placed right in the middle of the card, so when he had come back to the locker room, there was no one else but Nicole.

He sat down next to her and took a swig of his water. "So I hear you're going out on a date with Hunter tonight?"

Nicole looked up from her book, "It's not a date," she closed her book and faced him.

"Well, are you, or are you not going out to dinner with him?"

"I'm going out to dinner with him, but just as friends Randy"

"But you're going just the two of you? If it wasn't a date, as you say it isn't, then wouldn't he have asked all of us." Randy pried.

"Well, I don't know why he didn't ask you Randy, but don't feel left out; I'm sure Hunter still likes you."

"Very cute, missy. But I still think it's a date."

"Well, it's not!"

"You keep telling yourself that," Randy rolled his eyes, and headed for the showers.

* * *

A little while later, after Dave had had his match, the 3 remaining members of Evolution finally came back to the locker room. They all retrieved their belongings, and made their way for the limo.

Hunter hung back, as he waited for Nicole to finish applying her lipgloss. "So are you hungry?"

She looked at him through the mirror, "Not particularly."

"Good, same here. I was thinking we would go to this quiet little café?"

"Ya, that sounds good," she smiled.

"I'll just ask the driver to drop us off there; it's on the way to the hotel."

Nicole finished up, and they made their way to the awaiting limo. Hunter instructed the driver to let them off at the café and then continue on dropping off Randy, Dave and Ric at the hotel, or where ever it is they wanted to go.

* * *

A few hours later, Hunter and Nicole were laughing as they slowly made their way home. They had opted to walk home, as it was not a long walk, and it was a beautiful night. The pair had conversed for hours at the café, hardly noticing that it was beginning to clear out. Only when the maitre d' had informed them that the café was now closing did they realize that they were the only two still there.

"Can I ask you something?" Hunter inquired, "But if it's too personal, you don't have to answer."

Nicole nodded, giving him the go ahead. "What did you ever see in Shawn Micheals?"

Nicole sighed; she knew the question would inevitably come up in their conversation sooner or later. "Shawn was the first guy that I had an actual relationship with. I was young at the time, and I thought I was in love with him and that he loved me; obviously I was wrong." She looked down at her feet, and then continued, "When he cheated on me, and then lied about everything, it really hurt because I honestly did think he cared."

"You were young, he took advantage of that. I should never have let him..."

She cut him off, and stepped in front of him so she was no longer by his side, but now facing him "Hunter you hated me, and the feelings were mutual. So even if you had tried to warn me, I would never have listened."

Hunter nodded his understanding, "It's hard to believe that at one point in time, I couldn't stand you, and now..."

"...and now what?" she asked. They were now a mere few meters from the hotel.

Hunter stepped closer to her, closing the gap between them, "Now, I don't know." He ran his hands along the exposed skin between her pants and blazer, "Did I mention how amazing you look tonight?"

Nicole took in a sharp breath at the touch of his hands on her waist, "No you haven't"

"Well, you look amazing." He stepped back a little to be able to look her over, as he did his eyes finally rested on her chest. "...and there is not one touch of pink. I'm surprised." he smirked.

"Well, that's what you get for not believing me."

"I guess now I know better than that; I'll never go against what you say again."

"Good. That's the way it should be."

He stepped closer to her once more, "Do I sense a hint of arrogance in that voice of yours, Nikki?"

"I suppose some of yours might have rubbed off on me," she grinned, unable to keep a straight face.

"Really? Well, here I thought you liked dating men who were arrogant, after all you did date Shawn; but I see I was wrong."

"Don't fool yourself Hunter: Shawn's got nothing on you in the arrogance department."

He laughed, not even bothering to pretend he was offended, because in truth; he wasn't. "And what about in other departments; do I surpass Shawn?"

Nicole bit her bottom lip, and furrowed her brow, pretending to be in great thought. "Well, I don't know; Shawn was a pretty good kisser."

"Really?" He pulled her closer to him, and captured her lips in a gentle, yet mind-blowing kiss.

After a few moments, she pulled back, "Yeah, I think you got one up on Shawn in this too."

Hunter smiled, as he once again pulled her closer by the waist. He recapture her lips, this time in a heated, passionate embrace. She allowed his tongue entrance, letting it explore her mouth. Entwining her hands in his hair, she pulled him as closer to her as possible; wanting to feel him against her. His hands roamed her small waist and, then up under her blazer.

She moaned into him before pulling away, "I thought this wasn't anything official?"

"It's not. At least not yet."

Nicole smiled, before letting him continue his assault on her lips. Finally, they broke apart, and walked the remaining distance to the hotel.


End file.
